Travis Turner has that dog in him.
The Colorado State first-year grabbed his third college victory Saturday during the Border Dual meet at the Jack Christiansen Track in Fort Collins. The 21.16 time marked his first win in the 200-meter dash.
“That was only my second outdoor 200,” Turner said. “So, the time is only going down.”
Turner said that with one final meet in the regular season, he wants to dip into the 20-second range, making a statement heading into the outdoor conference championships.
Turner did not plan on being successful in the 200-meter, as he joined the Rams strictly as a 400-meter sprinter.
But assistant coach J.J. Riese saw something Turner still needed to discover.
“(He saw) a dog,” Turner said. “Because I promise you, I’m coming with every race. Everything I got, no matter who’s on the line with me, I’m just going to give everything I got. I hate to lose.”
Once Riese got to work on him in the fall, Turner realized his desire to dominate.
“Not everybody loves to compete,” Riese said. “Yes, people like to compete because it’s part of the sport, you know? But other people live to compete. And he’s a tremendous competitor. He shows up. He’s got lots of heart.”
There is no ceiling for Turner in the eyes of Riese. His tremendous work ethic and enthusiasm as a first-year set him on course as one of the best mid-distance sprinters in the Mountain West.
“I don’t know what the ceiling is,” Riese said. “It’s kind of exciting. I mean, he’s already shaving over a second in the 400, which for some people is like a whole career where you can give it your all. If you told someone, ‘Hey, you’re going to drop a second in your college career,’ they’d be like, ‘Oh, that’s great,’ you know?
“And he did it. And he’s done more than that this year. I think he’s a guy who for career-wise, should have the goal of getting to the NCAA Championship, which is like, you know, 45, seven-ish will usually get you there.”
Riese’s and Turner’s goals clearly align. However, what is different about them is their personalities. Riese is calm and reserved most of the time. Even when one of his athletes accomplishes something big, he steers them towards future progress, always looking ahead. Riese seems never to get worked up over anything.
For Turner, he lives for the moment at hand.
Almost always, Turner is the loudest person on the track before and after competing. He can be seen striking up friendly banter with athletes from other programs, cheering on his teammates from the infield or looking for ways to make sure his voice is heard.
Yet somehow, despite their differences in demeanor, the two mesh.
“It’s super fun having a guy like that who’s super competitive, super talkative, great teammate, great fantastic energy,” Riese said. “I think for a lot of guys, they put a lot of weight on their shoulders, and they carry that into the meet. And then you got Travis just kind of like bopping around.”
The feeling is mutual for Turner.
“I call J.J. ‘Pops’,” Turner said. “J.J. feels like a father to me. I can say he is a huge role model to me outside of the track. And then even coming on the track, having a motivation like that (will) just push you ten times.”
Turner and his sprint teammate, Cooper Smith — like many friendships formed on the team — bonded over running the same events. Smith watched Turner’s 200-meter from the finish line after completing the sprint in the previous heat.
“He was moving,” Smith said. “If he gets one more 200 in the rest of the season, he’s going to get 20-point-something for sure.”
Turner and Smith share similar interests besides just running the same events. They play NBA 2K together outside of practice. Something about Turner’s energy strikes Smith the same way it does for Riese.
“Travis just brings the energy to practice every day,” Smith said. “He brings a team camaraderie together, every practice and every day. But to have a guy like Travis, who’s arguably one of the best guys in the conference, just has no ego, it’s great for the team.”
Desire to dominate, fierce loyalty to the program and unwavering energy that radiates across the team are the qualities that make Turner a dog.
Even as a first-year, Turner appears confident in his future success. He already understands the process and the progress that follows. Right now, time is on Turner’s side.
“The process has really been hard, I’m not going to lie,” Turner said. “It’s been a long time trying, but all I can say is I trust my training. So, every time I go out there, I just try to practice what I put out there or what I practice. So, because I know my coach and he prepares me for the best and puts me in the best situation.”
Reach Adam Gross at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @agrose_22.
