Ryan Friese’s priorities have changed since joining the Colorado State track team, but the junior is enjoying the extra work that has been put on his plate.
The former Rampart High School athlete went to CSU as a triple jumper and a 400-meter man. Now he’s an 800-meter specialist, coming off a Mountain West Conference indoor title he won in February and hoping to duplicate the feat at the MWC outdoor meet May 13-16 in Laramie. Which means he’s running up to 80 miles, not eight, per week in training.
The 800 is considered one of track’s most challenging events because of the combination of speed and endurance it requires.
“The 800 is a hard event to train for,” Friese said. “You’re constantly worried about speed and making sure you have the strength. It’s definitely a lot mentally tougher (than the 400).”
The conversion from sprinter and jumper to middle-distance runner started during his freshman year when CSU track coach Brian Bedard noticed Friese ahead of the pack in conditioning runs. Bedard said the consensus on the CSU staff was to have him try the 800.
It was something akin to asking a quarterback to play wide receiver.
“At no point did he question the decision. He completely committed himself,” Bedard said.
Friese’s goal this season in the 800 is a sub-1:48 time. He has abandoned the triple jump to focus on the 800 and occasionally help on the Rams’ 1,600 relay.
In the CSU coaching hierarchy, Bedard oversees the Rams’ track program and works with the throwers. CSU alumnus Bryan Berryhill, a two-time NCAA 1,500-meter champion, is the head cross country coach and assistant coach for the distance runners. Berryhill has added Friese to his roster.
Although the 1,500 was Berryhill’s most successful event, he also clocked the best 800-meter time in school history (1:46.03) eight years ago. Friese’s career best is 1:48.99, which he set this month in Laramie. The time ranks 13th nationally this season and qualified him for the NCAA regionals in late May.
“Definitely one of my goals is to get a couple of (Berryhill’s) records,” Friese said.
Said Berryhill: “That would be great if he took my records. (Former coach Del Hessel) had the records before me and that would be a pretty cool circle.”
Friese intends to move up to the metric mile next season. With all his changes at CSU, how about just adding the decathlon?
“I’d probably do well until the throwing events. I weigh 132 pounds on a good day,” he said.
As a senior at Rampart, Friese missed the state meet because of a hamstring pull. As a junior, he was fifth in the 400 and triple jump, but his injury may have cost him a scholarship. Bedard offered the bare minimum of a partial scholarship. Unlike the full rides that are mandated in football and basketball, the limited scholarship pool in nonrevenue sports is divided throughout a team’s roster.
Bedard is re-examining the grant now that Friese has become a star.
“I’m not complaining,” Friese said. “It’s helping pay for school, and I understand I have to help the rest of the team out.”
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
