FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Monday, February 15, 2016 New Faces: MSUB cross country/track and field freshman Ivan Colmenero
By: Rio Frame, MSUB Media Relations Intern Seventh in a series. Handling the variety of demands from being in season for almost the entire academic year is something that has come naturally for Yellowjacket distance runner Ivan Colmenero. MSUB SPORTS – September to the middle of May. That is the amount of time that a three-sport student-athlete spends competing at his or her top level. Not many people are crazy enough to put themselves through that physically, let alone mentally. Freshman Ivan Colmenero, Montana State University Billings cross country and track runner, is just insane enough to dare his body to be pushed to its limits and beyond. He wills his body every day no matter where he is, no matter if he’s tired, sore, or didn’t get enough sleep. He wills himself to pound out a run because he knows every mile counts, and that every run missed is a missed opportunity to improve and achieve his goals. He knows that Sunday morning long runs will make his grueling 10k at the end of cross country season seem like child’s play; that his interval workouts on the track for the indoor season that demand him to run faster than his mile race pace
lead to PRs in the 3k; that those loathsome 1,000m repetitions create a mental toughness that even the 12.5 laps around an outdoor track can’t break. For Colmenero there is no offseason. Colmenero was not always a runner, but watching him compete at the NCAA Division II this year, one would think he has been running the majority of his life. Colmenero appears relaxed and at ease whether he is racing around a cross country course or clicking off laps on a track. This young athlete has challenged himself to become a distance runner for the Yellowjackets, and he isn’t disappointing. “During cross country he progressed every week,” stated head cross country and track and field coach Dave Coppock. “He’s always really anxious to get out there to compete and even to train. I never seem to have to push him very hard because he is very selfmotivated.” While in high school Colmenero tried to focus on basketball, until running was introduced to him his senior year by Manhattan High School’s cross country and track coach, John Sillitti. Coach Sillitti soon became an important person to Colmenero. “He had wanted me to run since I was a freshman in high school,” remembered Colmenero. “I finally approached him after my junior year to see if I could join the team. Sillitti was always very supportive of me, encouraging me to continue running even if I had a bad day or race.” Colmenero still counts Sillitti as one of his best friends even as he continues his running career in Billings. Coach Coppock heard of Colmenero through a recommendation from Sillitti. “His high school coach told me about him so I looked up his times and he seemed to be doing really well,” recounted Coppock. “Sillitti said he was a really hard worker and that the team really liked him.” Nothing has changed since Sillitti talked to Coppock. Colmenero still incorporates an outstanding work ethic and positive attitude into his sport. He can be seen putting a smile on his teammates’ faces before, during, and after practices. Colmenero found himself at MSUB for the chance to continue his love of running while earning a degree in Spanish education. “I love being a studentathlete,” remarked the runner. Colmenero has also come to the realization that becoming a student-athlete is one of his biggest accomplishments. “I think being a student-athlete takes a lot of commitment for us. We have to balance school, work, meets, practices, and social life. It is a big accomplishment to be able to achieve.” Colmenero is a sophomore in his academic studies, but retains his freshman eligibility athletically. He spent his first year at MSUB as a redshirt athlete. “I really wanted to compete last year and had been looking forward to being a part of this team,” said Colmenero. “It was heartbreaking not being able to do anything with them because I felt like I wasn’t very connected to everyone on the team.” Both Colmenero and Coppock agreed that the extra year helped Colmenero better prepare himself for the mileage and workouts that it takes to be a collegiate runner. “He was injured so in the end it was probably fine that he didn’t run that first year,” Coppock said referring to Colmenero’s redshirt season. “He got over his injury and started to adjust to college running.”
Colmenero competing at the Yellowjacket Invitational in the fall of 2015 at Amend Park in Billings.
Colmenero reminisced about how much easier high school running was compared to at the collegiate level. “I did not expect it to be so hard. Everyone has a lot more passion for running at this level.” Colmenero saw his first collegiate level competition in the wilderness of Alaska back in early September. “I thought it was going to be just like high school. I figured I would be able to stay up with our front crew, but I went out a little too fast,” commented Colmenero. “I learned from that experience to be more patient during races.” His thoughts on his first track meet differed a little as he described how he and his teammate Tyus Mendoza worked extremely well together throughout their race. “We worked together to improve each other. We ran our race, not our competition’s race.” Flourishing under this intense amount of competing Colmenero continues to improve throughout his seasons.
Colmenero running through the trees in Alaska during MSUB’s first meet of the season on Sept. 3, 2015 in Fairbanks.
Academically, Colmenero finds school to be fairly easy. “Classes are a lot more condensed compared to high school, but I think I am doing well with the workload.” Colmenero has chosen to earn a degree in Spanish to either become an educator or translator, and will supplement it with a history minor. He fluently speaks Spanish, which stems from living in Mexico until he was a seventh grader. His mother and siblings still live in the state of Chihuahua in Mexico.
Colmenero has lived in the Bozeman-Manhattan area of Montana with his uncle, Cecilio, since he was a seventh grader. “My uncle has been very helpful with preparing me for events in my life,” said Colmenero gratefully about all the things that his uncle has done for him. Even though he has his friends, team, and uncle in Montana, there is still a void in Colmenero’s life that can only be filled by the family that he had to leave behind in Mexico. Being away from his family is one sacrifice that he has had to make in order to be a collegiate athlete. He does not let this hardship cripple him though. Instead he uses it and many other obstacles he faces as a learning opportunity. “I want to be self-sufficient. So being away from my family does help my abilities to manage my life and be responsible,” said Colmenero. “I did not get to visit my family for Christmas this year because I needed to stay here and train for track,” said the freshman. “I spent it with some family friends and my uncle in Bozeman, but it’s been about a year since I have been able to see my family.” He hopefully plans to visit his family this upcoming summer when his training regimen won’t be as rigorous. Colmenero has a passion for running that others find admirable. “Once he started running, you could just see that fire in his eyes. There is just something about him. He’s got that spark,” commented senior track and cross country captain Robert Peterson. “I really admire how hard he pushes himself, whether it’s consistently doing his pool workouts while he was injured, or just in practice.” Peterson has been an inspiration to Colmenero throughout his time at MSUB, as well as a good friend. “Ivan always comes to me and asks me for advice, which is cool,” comments Peterson. Because of Peterson, Colmenero knows that hard work and dedication will lead him to the top of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference competition. “The team is always supportive of me whether I’m injured or competing,” said Colmenero. “We all help each other keep our heads up and encourage one another.” The Yellowjacket could list off a million reasons how his team is supportive
and fun to be around, but there is no need. Anyone who encounters Colmenero and his teammates can see the evident team bond that these athletes have created through all the team dinners, pumpkin carving, bus rides, and countless hours of doing what they all love, running. There is a quote that states, “It’s very hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit.” Ivan Colmenero embodies this quote. He has been through redshirting, injuries, exhausting workouts, 16 mile long runs, and no offseasons. He has never quit, doesn’t complain, and continues to improve. Simply saying that he is a hard-working and nice person would not suffice to capture his high-spirited personality. To fully capture all that is him, one would have to pull on a pair of running shoes, buy a pair of Mexican themed running shorts, and hit the roads with this aspiring athlete.
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