Coming out of high school, senior sprinter Michael Courtney said he wouldn't have believed anyone if they had told him how well he would eventually perform on the track. Courtney is a nine-time Southland Conference Champion, All-Southland Conference 11 times in five events, and holds many Sam Houston State school records. His latest record was shattering the school record in the 400 two weeks ago at Arkansas.
But he almost never gave running track a thought. Courtney was a high school basketball player who decided to take up running his senior year. Because Courtney's dad had previously worked with then SHSU head coach Curtis Collier, Courtney was able to get a little bit of money to come to Sam Houston State.
It was his only offer on the table.
"Michael is the kind of kid that makes you look like a great coach, he's a joy to be around and always he works so hard," said head coach Dave Self. "He's always been serious about track, but about three years ago he figured out he could be really good at this and has dedicated his life to it and has really come a long ways."
Apart from the records Courtney holds and his conference titles, Courtney has provisionally qualified for the men's NCAA National Championship and has a chance to become the first Bearkat to run at the indoor national meet.
"I'm so excited to have a chance to be the first from Sam Houston," Courtney said. "I had a great race at Arkansas, so hopefully it will hold up and I'll get a chance to run again after conference."
Courtney is currently ranked number 20 in the world and number 12 in the United States but senior sprinter Michael Courtney's main focus is on what he has to do for potentially his last race as a Bearkat this weekend at the Southland Conference Indoor Championships, which begin Friday in Norman, Okla.
"It's definitely kind of sad that this will be my last race, but at the same time I'm very thankful for the time that I've had," he said. "I've made a lot of good friends out here and I have come a long way since I first started, so I'm thankful for the opportunity to be out here."
Courtney finished up his outdoor eligibly last spring, so once indoor is over, so is his Bearkat career. Because of that fact, Self know he is going to get nothing but the best performance from the senior.
"I think Michael is more than prepared for his last race," Self said. "I hate to see him go as a coach but I'm excited to see how he does at the Southland Conference Championships and I expect that to be very well."
Not only is Courtney looking for success for himself on the track, but for his team as well.
"Going into conference we have a good chance at winning and I'm just telling myself that this is my last chance at winning and being a Bearkat. So I'm just mentally preparing myself for the races that I have to run," he said.
You can follow live results as they happen here.
