Sprinter Ryan Brooks posts career day at GVSU meet with 6.91 in 60-meter dash

Junior sprinter Ryan Brooks had a career day at the GVSU Quad meet on Saturday after being inactive for the last two weeks of practice.

Brooks not only won the 60m dash but also qualified for the Mid-American Conference championships and posted a personal record with a time of 6.91.

"It feels pretty good coming off of two weeks of not being able to compete," Brooks said. "It's good to win. I've never won a collegiate race before, so that’s a great feeling. Also, I've been able to (set a personal record) each time I've competed this year, so it's good to know that I'm on the right track."

Brooks has spent the last two weeks recovering and has not been able to attend practice. He has been dealing with a minor hamstring issue and last week fell victim to the flu virus that has been making its way around CMU's campus. He was eager to return to the track on Saturday and did so in the best way an athlete can.

"A lot of the credit goes out to the coaching staff, and it's been difficult for the last two weeks to get work in," Brooks said. "But, at the same time, getting the rest in from preseason helps being able to come in and get a good time like that."

Brooks was one of several Chippewas to post MAC-qualifying times this weekend. With the newer qualifying system, making times is something that always stays in the back of an athlete's mind as the season winds down. Now that he has earned his spot in the championships, Brooks will look to continue his progress.

"It's always good to get it out of the way early so you can focus on other things and races instead of worrying about qualifying in that one race," Brooks said. "So, it’s definitely a bit of a relief to get it out of the way. It's also good to know that now I have time to improve on my times and pull up in the rankings and also focus on other races and competing in the MAC championship."

Going into his junior season, Brooks has not had the best of luck at getting on the podium.

"My personal goal for competition this season is to get medals," Brooks said. "I haven’t placed in the top three yet, especially for indoor, I haven't really scored a lot of points yet. So, my personal goal for that is to finish in the top three in the 60m and the 200m. Also, I'll be in the 4x400 with some of my teammates, so it would be nice to medal in all three of those events for indoor"