Go sit in the bleachers of Sun Angel Stadium on any given Wednesday afternoon and you are bound to find the ASU men's sprints team in action.
Watch them for a few minutes and you will undoubtedly be impressed.
This year's men's sprints team is unique and successful. Every member of the squad contributes to help the No. 7 ASU men's track and field team succeed.
Although unified as a team, the Sun Devil sprinters came to Tempe from different places and have different stories.
Senior John Kline is the local of the bunch, a product of Desert Vista High School with a decorated history.
Kline, a member of Barrett, the Honors College, lettered in football, track and cross country during high school and was named the 2008 Boys Track Athlete of the Year by The Arizona Republic.
Kline came to ASU for the track program and to build on his high school success.
“I gave up football halfway through high school to focus on track,” Kline said. “I looked at some other schools around the country, but (ASU) won the national championships the year before and had some good 800-meter runners, so I thought it would be a good choice.”
Not all the sprinters took the same route to ASU as Kline, though.
Senior Daniel Auberry didn't run track in high school.
“Basketball is my first love,” Auberry said.
Auberry played basketball at Alta Loma High School in California and thought about playing in college, but had a change of heart.
“After high school, I had to go to junior college because of my grades,” Auberry said. “Everyone kept telling me I was fast and that I should run track, so I went out for it. It turned out to be the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Auberry isn't exaggerating.
Before coming to the Sun Devils’ program, the senior was ranked No. 1 in the California Junior College Rankings for the 100-meter dash and is now a consistent force in the race along with redshirt sophomore Ryan Milus.
Sophomore Will Henry and junior Chris Burrows were high school teammates at Trotwood-Madison (Ohio) High School, but took completely different routes to Tempe.
Henry took the more traditional route, coming to ASU right after high school to his track passion.
“I've been running since I was 8, so track has always been my main sport,” Henry said. “I've put in a lot of time to get where I'm at, so I figured I would do it in college.”
Burrows, on the other hand, spent time at Lake Erie College in Ohio before coming to ASU.
Burrows has already made an immediate impact in his first year in the program, running a career-best 20.65 seconds in the 200-meter dash during last weekend's tri-meet.
Burrows also mentioned how large of a role Henry has played in his success.
“He was on my state championship 4x200-meter relay team my senior year, so seeing him progress from high school to college influenced me to come here and have faith that my times would be better,” Burrows said.
All four sprinters, not just Burrows and Henry, can feel the unity the entire sprints team has gained throughout the year.
“We are more cohesive this year,” Kline said. “Last year, we had some people who didn't really follow our train of thought of the program. This year, they aren't here anymore, so we have gotten on much better.”
Henry agreed that the team camaraderie is apparent.
“We all get along and hang out on the weekend,” Henry said. “Everybody has the same goal of putting in work during the week so that during the weekend, it can show during the meet.”
Men's sprints coach Ronnie Williams is around the athletes enough to know this is a special group.
“They are really great teammates,” Williams said. “Each one brings something special to the team. Will is more of a jokester, while Chris is more of the orderly dad figure. John is the more serious guy and Daniel is just the in-between of us all.”
The dedication to the Sun Devils’ program is there as well, as none of the four sprinters came to the team on a full scholarship, yet they have earned their dues and look to be major forces in Eugene, Ore., at the Pac-12 championships.
Coach Greg Kraft couldn't be prouder of his men's sprints team and each runner’s journey to Tempe.
“I'm really proud of who they are and what they have developed to be,” Kraft said. “They truly embody what track and field at ASU should be.”
Reach the reporter at dsshapi1@asu.edu
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