Matt Wisner - Duke Track and Field

In middle school, I was bad at soccer & I also didn’t exactly fit in with the boys on the team. And even when I was still on the soccer team I had this romantic image of what cross country was—a bunch of weird kids, boys and girls, who wore short shorts & shaved their legs, just trying to go faster, nothing more. I wanted to be a part of that. 

I was in Albuquerque & going through my final pre-meet preparations when I found out NCAAs had been cancelled. Truthfully, I was so angry, feeling like something I wanted so badly had been taken from me so abruptly. We had a quiet plane ride back to Durham & I realized that I’d probably never race in a Duke uniform again. But we soon understood how serious this pandemic would be on a much larger scale & were grateful that the NCAA acted so decisively & did what would be best for public health. 

My coach called me a few days after we got back & he told me to remember that although a lot of things will change & there’s so much we can’t control, hard work & a good attitude & passion will always yield good results. I’ve been training on my own for a few months now & it definitely gets tough. I train best when I’m held accountable by others, when I don’t have the choice to sleep in or to skip a second run. My passion for this sport comes out the strongest when I’m around other people who love what they’re doing & want to do everything they can to go fast. 

I’m going to run my final collegiate track season at the University of Oregon. Duke has been really good to me & I’m grateful to have spent four years in Durham. But Oregon will definitely bring something different & I’m excited for that change. In 2021, the Olympic Trials will in Eugene, & I hope I’ll run fast enough to run at such a high level on my home track.