MALLANE DRESSEL
PRIDE STAFF WRITER
Brett Campfield competes in both track and cross-country for CSUSM. He helped the crosscountry team finish 12th at nationals. At the conference held here at CSUSM, he stepped up his game to win first, 18 seconds before the next competitor. Coach Steve Scott told the team that they needed two of the team members to finish on top in order to win, and Campfield delivered. That added pressure, which Campfield confesses he loves, made him run his best race of the season.
This talented athlete transferred from Princeton University, where he excelled in the steeplechase and 5k. Feeling burnt out on school, he took a break to pursue a career in sports, first interning for a baseball league manager, and then working for the Houston Astros. When he made the decision to go back to school, he chose CSUSM in order to be closer to friends and family.
The change in schools also spurred the change in races he wanted to compete in. Campfield was eager to have the renowned miler, Steve Scott, train him in the mile instead of continuing to do the steeplechase. Once Campfield proved to Scott that he had the speed to compete in the mile, Scott agreed that the mile is Campfield’s race. Campfield declares that since transferring, Steve Scott’s supervision caused him to improve dramatically. He appreciates how Scott considers his opinion when planning the workouts and goals. Campfield hopes to make a coaching first for Scott by becoming a sub 4-minute mile runner.
The team also has him running the half-mile and 4×4, which Campfield never competed in before transferring to CSUSM. When asked about the new experience of relaying in the 4×4, Campfield expressed his love for the event: “Just having the baton in your hand, it’s a good feeling, knowing that everyone is counting on you. I like the pressure.” Campfield really likes the camaraderie and I-have-your-back attitude that comes from practicing with the team. “It’s easy to let yourself down, but it’s hard to let your team down,” he said, when asked about the team aspect. Campfield tends to feed off the pressure that he places upon himself. This last week at Nationals, he placed an impressive second in the mile and third in the half mile. In the last 200 meters of the mile race, Campfield propelled himself from 9th to 2nd. “That’s my favorite part of the race, the finish. It’s what I run the whole race for,” he said. Now that Nationals has ended the indoor track season, he looks forward to the outdoor season because more of his teammates compete.
His goals for this outdoor season are to break four minutes in the mile and figure out a way to beat his nemesis, Silas Kisorio of Oklahoma Christian, who has beaten Campfield twice by less than a second. He plans to prepare for the outdoor season by putting in lots of miles and doing intensive interval workouts that really push his limits. Mentally he likes to relax and not concentrate too much on the races.
He notices now after getting back into running how much it contributes to other aspects of his life. He feels that running keeps him more motivated, lively and focused. He is even considering continuing to run after college. He plans to compete with professionals at the USA Nationals and has the goal of possibly doing the Olympic trials next year. Campfield also hopes to remain active in running and other sports in the future as well as acquire a job in either professional sports or college athletics.
Photo courtesy of Mallane Dressel