Sophomore Michael Melchert hopes to improve following an good freshman year.
By Adam Hensley
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In college athletics, upperclassmen normally overshadow underclassmen. However, some freshmen spark the attention of their teammates, coaches, and fans.
Hawk Michael Melchert did just that.
“I had pretty high expectations,” he said about his freshman year. “I wanted to contribute right away. Right when I got on campus, I tried to get with the top group.”
Head coach Layne Anderson did not know Melchert well going into last season.
Anderson took over the men’s program last year and did not recruit Melchert — though he did watch him run at the state meet.
“One thing I knew about him was that he had good speed,” the coach said.
Melchert became a reliable runner for Iowa despite some setbacks.
“It was kind of a roller coaster. I was anemic halfway through, but I got over it and ran pretty well in Big Tens,” Melchert said. “It was a good learning experience.”
Melchert dealt with sickness and injury his freshman year, which hindered him at points.
Regardless of these obstacles, Melchert ran his best 8,000 meters at the Big Ten meet, with a time of 25:06.6. He also recorded his top five-mile run (25:17.0) at the Notre Dame Invitational and 10,000 meters at the NCAA Midwest Regional (32:11.8).
Aiming to improve from last season, Melchert trained harder in the off-season.
“I did higher mileage this summer,” he said, noting that he did not do any workouts the summer going into his freshman year. “I did not want my legs to be stale when I came in.”
Melchert’s workouts consisted of tempo runs and hill work, and he wanted to hit the first few workouts of the season hard.
To succeed at the Division-I level, runners need certain characteristics. Anderson believes Melchert possesses all the ingredients for an effective runner.
“He’s a name to watch, a guy going forward that does some pretty significant things for the Hawkeyes,” Anderson said.
“I think he leads through his work ethic and his racing. He’s a ferocious finisher,” he said. “You get inspired by watching him over the last 400 meters of a race.”
The Hawkeyes possess a deep roster this year, with plenty of young talent to add to their experience. Anderson said Melchert does not necessarily have to be the top guy.
“Could he be the top guy? Absolutely,” he said. “Would it surprise me if he was? No. If he’s healthy and training well, he’ll always be a guy that is going to factor into the scoring for us.”
Melchert, born and raised in Monticello, Iowa, achieved success in high school. Crowned state cross-country champ in 2013, he also won the 3,200 and 1,600 meters, as well as the distance medley relay in state track. That factored into his decision to run in college.
“I wanted to compete; I didn’t want to finish,” Melchert said.
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