By Senior sprinter Brent Gray and sophomore sprinter Alex Goldberg trained together all of last season. They thrived off each other’s efforts, and the results showed.
Gray went on to set new school records in the 100 and 200-meter races and become the Big West Conference Track Athlete of the Year. Goldberg has had equal success in the 400-meter race, where he qualified for NCAA Regionals and was eventually named the Big West Men’s Freshman of the Year.
Despite accomplishing the feats as individuals, the athletes took a quality from one another and ran with it – literally.
“Alex’s drive is the biggest thing about him,” Gray said. “He always wants to get better.”
Goldberg had a little more to say about the record-setting sprinter.
“Brent taught me that pain and practice is your friend,” Goldberg said. “If you don’t love it, you won’t get better at it. Looking up to the elders of the team is important, and that is where I start hitting my own marks.”
Together, Gray and Goldberg have made huge strides for LBSU track and field and even ran together on the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams that earned all-Big West honors. In fact, they even competed against each other, with Gray besting Goldberg in the 100 and 200-meter races, and Goldberg taking the 400-meter race.
Before running track and field, both athletes came from other sports during high school. Gray was playing football at Banning High School in Wilmington, Calif., while Goldberg was playing soccer at Lodi High School in Lodi, Calif.
Injuries mounted for Gray during his days on the football field. He suffered ankle and collarbone injuries that nearly ended his career as a track athlete.
“My mom didn’t want me playing football anymore, and wanted me to stay in track,” Gray said. “Coming out [of high school], a lot of people didn’t think I was going to do it in track.”
Goldberg, meanwhile, was playing soccer. However, he said he was only playing the sport to improve his stamina in the 400-meter race.
“I just got better at [400-meters] and eventually dropped soccer,” Goldberg said. “I came onto this team without a lot of experience.”
Gray ran through the Big West Conference last season and won the 100 and 200-meter races at the Big West championships. He qualified for the NCAA Championship Final in the 200-meter race, where he finished fourth. In the midst of All-American Chris Richardson’s accolades was the development of a future premier athlete at LBSU. Gray said he doesn’t stress where he is running, only just how he is doing it.
“It’s not where you go, it’s what you do when you get there,” Gray said. “[LBSU track and field] is one of the best, but it’s all just a logo.”
Goldberg was a rookie last season, but didn’t compete like one. He finished in the top three in three different events at the Big West Championships. Goldberg was part of the first-place 4×1600 relay team, finishing second in the 400-meters and finishing third in the 200-meters, Gray’s specialty event.
Gray was not surprised at Goldberg’s rise to prominence in the 2007 season.
“Alex is a hard worker,” Gray said. “He has his goals. I’ve had some awesome training with him.”
The tandem’s cohesiveness has led both to believe that the 2008 season will be one of the best in the program’s history. However, Gray and Goldberg are making their own history.
