T&F: Courtney inks D-I pact with UTSA
signs a national letter-of-intent to run track and cross
country at Div. I University of Texas at San Antonio.
Courtney was joined by his mother (seated) Kim Graham
as well as (back, from left) Kent Graham (step father),
Coach Smith, Coach Gerardo Moreno, Asst. Superinten-
dent Mary Lynn Tinkle, Superintendent Mid Johnson and
Coach Justin Calvin. (Photo by John Krueger)
TIMPSON -- In less than three years Timpson High School athlete Cameron Courtney has seen his career bloom into an opportunity of a lifetime simply by working hard and dedicating himself to becoming the best he can be.
The distance runner at THS will have an opportunity to show his talents at the NCAA Division I level now after signing a national letter-of-intent this past week to compete in both cross country and track & field at defending Southland Conference Indoor/Outdoor Champion University of Texas at San Antonio.
Courtney, who earned a trip to the Class A State Track & Field Championships in Austin as an 800-meter runner his junior year and then qualified in both the 800-meters and 1,600 meters as a senior last month for the Bears, received several collegiate offers, but made the hard choice to attend UTSA after making a campus visit recently. The Roadrunners swept their second indoor/outdoor conference titles in three years recently, which intrigued the Shelby County runner. In fact, UTSA has won the indoor title each year since 2006.
"I had quite a few scholarship offers - some that were actually better than what UTSA was offering - but then I went to [the UTSA] campus on a visit and everything was just so awesome there," Courtney said Thursday at his signing here at the Timpson ISD Administration Building. "I stayed with some runners while I was there and they answered whatever questions I need needed answered and they knew and told me everything about the school and the [cross country and track] programs and really made me feel comfortable.
"I was also impressed with [Coach Aaron Fox] and how much he knew about body mechanics; I was impressed with that. He was a pretty good guy as well."
Courtney soaked up the atmosphere of the campus, the successful programs and the city of San Antonio as a whole and said he can't wait to get on campus and begin competing. He said it not only means a lot to him, but his family, to be able to compete at the next level.
"This means a lot to my family," Courtney said, as he mother, Kim, and his step father, Kent Graham, looked on during the signing. "This is an opportunity to compete at a higher level. And with UTSA having won the conference championship it will give me a great chance to compete with and against some outstanding college athletes in the future."
Courtney said by competing in cross country in the fall, along with the indoor track season in the winter and outdoor season in the spring, it will allow him to get to know his opponents very well.
"By competing in all three seasons it will give me a full swing of competition and training with great coaches and athletes and help me with my work ethic throughout the entire school year," he noted. "It'll also give me a better opportunity to know my competitors that I'll be facing really well and see what I have to overcome."
Courtney didn't seriously consider distance running until he arrived on the Timpson High School campus during September of his sophomore season. After transferring from Nacogdoches, he met Coach Smith who encouraged him to run on the track squad.
During his sophomore season Courtney won the District 19-2A championship in the 800-meters, just missing a trip to State.
"I didn't have high expectations in my first track season, but the season really went well," Courtney declared. "As a junior I competed in cross country to train for track and went to Regional in cross country and State in track (finishing fifth in the 800-meters)."
Courtney claimed both the district and Area titles in both the 800-meters and 1,600-meters last spring.
Courtney said his trip to State in track during 2009 was a huge benefit as he began working for the senior cross country season and 2010 track competition.
"It helped me a lot by being at the State meet [as a junior] because the first time I went [to Austin] I didn't know what to expect," he explained. "It was real nerve-racking for me because there is so much competition at that level and you have to get ready to run differently than in other races.
"I just go down there on the track and got ready myself. Preparation is so different because your coach isn't allowed on the field, so you continually have to keep it in your mind and to focus on what's ahead."
Courtney's experience and hard work of the previous year paid dividends during his senior year. In addition to winning the Region III Cross County boys' title and coming in 21st at the State competition, he posted a 4:24.90 to finish only 35-hundredths of a second out of first in the 1,600 meters at last month's State Track Meet.
He placed third with a 1:56.37 in the 800-meters - his only loss of the season in the event. His time in the half-mile was 14-hundredths of a second out of second place.
Courtney now holds three Timpson High School records in the 1,600-meters, the 3,200-meters and the 5K run. He is a State elite runner, ranked 47th in the state of Texas and 52nd in the South Region, which consists of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
Courtney said he works about 1.5 to 2 hours per day in preparation for the season, running between 35-45 miles a week, depending on the time of the year or the season.
"My workouts vary, depending on the part of the season," he explained. "I begin in the off-season, starting off slow, and then building up during the early parts of the season."
Courtney stated that the shorter distance running helps him relax and the longer runs gives him a good 'base' for the later part of the season.
He knows that the competition level to go 'through the roof' when he begins competing at the UTSA, but he says he's ready for the challenge of taking his talents to the collegiate level, while Majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Kinesiology. He said law enforcement and options of being a personal trainer, physical therapist or coach give will give him a lot of options down the road.
And it appears that the roads in Courtney's future will be well traveled with many options available.
Cameron is also the son of Pat Courtney of Houston.