It’s around 8:30 on a Friday morning and cross country runner Colin Szhener has just come back from a 7 to 8 mile run. Beads of sweat roll down his forehead as the sun shines on his face and Szhener is smiling as he watches the rest of the team practice.

Szhener is what many would call an accomplished runner. Last year, Szhener was the top finisher for two of the team’s events, and helped lead the team to the Big Sky Championships back in 2005.

“I see him giving his best on a daily basis,” said Scott Abbot, head coach for Sacramento State’s cross country team. ” There are very few people I have coached that worked as hard as him.” Abbot believes that Szhener besides working hard also brings leadership and perspective to the team.

Scott Grose agrees with Abbot. “He’s a great guy, friendly, good be to be around and he encourages everybody,” Grose said

Szhener said he first discovered his love for running in the city of Clayton where he grew up. “It was your typical childhood, hanging out with the kids outdoor, having fun, going to the bike jumps,” Szhener said.

When he was ten years old, Szhener and his brother got a job delivering papers. Using their rollerblades, the brothers would often compete to see who could deliver the papers the fastest. “It was then that I learned that I hated to lose and that I loved to race.”

In eighth grade, Szhener started running track for Diabloview Middle School. In his freshman year of high school, he played football instead of running for cross country. However, after that year he gave up football and decided to focus his efforts on succeeding in track and cross country.

“I just liked the atmosphere of running,” Szhener said. “Plus, I was really successful.”

Szhener qualified for state every year he ran in high school and placed second in league his senior year. After having a successful season in high school, he decided to run for Sac State.

“What drew me towards Sac State was their excellent criminal justice program. Also, I wanted to run for a Division I school,” Szhener said. Szhener said he was pursuing a criminal justice degree so that he could work for the FBI. “I always saw (FBI agents) on career day and liked the way they would be looking so cool.” Szhener no longer wants a career in the FBI and instead is now a communications major and also doing pre-dental on the side.

Transitioning from high school to college was tough for Szchener. ” I was used to running for high school and all of sudden I was running 60 to 70 miles a week? some weeks I was even running a 100,” he said.

Szhener’s teammates and coach agree that Szhener can have a very competitive and aggressive nature.

“Outside the sport, he’s the most mild-mannered guy, but when he is training he’s got this incredible fire and intensity,” Abbot said.

Last year the men’s cross country team finished 7th in the Big Sky conference and 27th in the Western Regionals. Szhener said he was determined to improve the team’s record from last year. In order to accomplish this goal, Szhener, along with his two teammates Danny Carlson and Dominic Vogl, rented a cabin for the summer in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. Once there, they trained with former Olympic runners Dena Castor and Ryan Hall, where they practiced every day for three months running hills and various trails.

“Being with (the Olympians) is so inspiring, you bring yourself to whole different level of running,” Szhener said. Szhener hopes that the training over the summer will pay off. “I put in so much work, the team also put in so much work? we have to do well.”

Szhener said that this year the men’s cross country team is working on getting third in the conference and top ten in regionals. Since Szhener is a senior, this will be his last year running on the men’s cross country team.

“Definitely going to miss his leadership,” Abbot said. “Somebody’s seriously going to have to step up to fill his shoes.”

Szhener says that even after graduating, he plans on running competitively. “There’s just something about running that gives you this euphoric feeling.”

Zaki Syed can be reach at [email protected]