OTTUMWA —
November will mark the two-year anniversary of Kevin Lewis’s first place finish at the Class 4A individual boys state cross country meet — he was the first Ottumwa runner to take the crown since 1934.
Lewis, now a sophomore cross country and track and field runner for the University of Iowa, is already making a name for himself in the land of the Hawkeyes.
As a freshman, he qualified for the outdoor NCAA West Regional track and field meet in Austin, Texas by finishing in the top 48 in the 10,000 meters at the Big Ten Track and Field Championship with a time of 29:54. The west regional consists of every state west of the Mississippi River plus Illinois and Wisconsin.
Lewis said it was his best run of the year and it was fast enough to rank him fifth all-time in Iowa Hawkeye history.
In a race unaffiliated with the University of Iowa, Lewis finished 20th out of 10,000 runners at the Bix 7 in Davenport. He said he was the first Iowan to finish the seven-mile race and the ninth or 10th American to finish.
During his freshman cross country season with the Hawkeyes, Lewis took first in a dual against Northern Iowa with a time of 25:31. Also, he finished first in the mile at the Iowa Invite with 4:12.47.
Lewis is a person who is not only willing to set goals, but also willing to put in the time and effort required to achieve them.
“He’s one of those rare people who has the inner drive to succeed at what he does,” Bulldog track and field coach Jim Nickerson said. “He’s one of those people who can go out on his own and run and run and run and push himself.”
And that inner drive that makes Lewis sprint that extra 20 meters; or finish those extra 50 yards when his legs are burning; or put in those extra couple of hours of work when everyone else is out goofing around with friends; is fed by his natural affinity for competition.
“The competitive part is a big part of it,” Lewis said.
And the endless supply of fast college runners is sure to keep Lewis’s competitive juices flowing through his remaining years as a Hawkeye.
“I see that there are people faster than me so I want to get faster and eventually beat more people,” he said. “There’s always someone to race with and make you go faster.”
Indeed, Lewis was confronted with this situation every day in practice when he would run with Hawkeye All-American Jeff Thode.
Far from shrinking from the challenge, Lewis said he made a point of always trying to get in the same running group as Thode when the Hawkeye squad would split into small groups.
The Ottumwa track and field and cross country icon said explained how his running has improved since graduating from high school.
“My speed hasn’t necessarily gotten a lot faster, but I’ve been able to hold my speed for a lot longer,” he said.
Nickerson said Lewis’ running career is bolstered by the support he receives from his parents: Brian and Brenda Lewis.
“He has two parents who care so much about him,” Nickerson said.
The coach said it’s so important for athletes of any sport to get support from their parents.
“My family follows running a lot,” Lewis said. “They actually know what’s going on in the sport.”
Lewis has already set some concrete goals for himself this season. He wants to be an all-regional runner in cross country, which would mean finishing in the top 25 at the Midwest Regional.
As far as indoor and outdoor track and field goes, Lewis wants to score points for his team in races.
“You have to finish in the top eight of any of the races [to score points for your team],” he said.
The young Bulldog running legend will begin his cross country season Friday at the Western Illinois Early Bird Open in Macomb, Ill.
Sports
August 27, 2012
Lewis making mark at Iowa
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