Only in his second year as head track and field coach at Illinois State, Jeff Pigg has become enough of a student of Redbird athletics history to make a bold proclamation about distance runner Christian Goy, who will line up in this weekends NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships as a contender for national titles in both the mile and 3,000 meters.
Christian is one of the greatest athletes ever at Illinois State, said Pigg. Hes the fiercest competitor Ive ever seen. It isnt an accident that he is a great athlete. God gave him talent, but it is his attention to detail that sets him apart.
That talent will be tested when Goy takes his mark at 6:35 p.m. Friday for his preliminary heat in the mile at Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., where the University of Arkansas is playing host to the NCAA Finals. The finals are at 6:15 p.m. Saturday and, assuming he makes the mile finals, hell have scarcely an hours time before the 3,000-meter run finals at 7:40 p.m. Saturday. Also an all-American indoors last year, Goy and current Southern Illinois-Edwardsville coach Darryl Frerker (1987) are the only Redbird all-Americans in the indoor mile.
A native of Germany, Goy has distinguished himself in more ways than just on the track, where he holds the Illinois State indoor mile record at 3:59.43. Currently, he represents all Redbird student-athletes as president of Illinois States Student Athletic Council and is the reigning Illinois State Student-Athlete of the Year. Add in a 3.43 grade average in business management, and Goy earns exceptional marks in all three areas of development stressed by Redbird athletics: academics, athletics and service.
Pigg knows the qualities which make Goy who he is and what he is.
He has respect for others, said Pigg. He respects Illinois State and the administration. He is proud to be a Redbird. It truly means a lot to him to be here.
Goys philosophy about running for national championships is the same as the one which drives his daily life.
I want to do the best I can do, said Goy, the 2001 and 2002 Missouri Valley Conference Mile Run Champion. I will step to the line and put-out 100 percent. Ive been working hard for this competition all season and I think the last couple of weeks of practice and competitions show that.
Although he still has a season of cross country left, his college track and field eligibility ends with the 2002 indoor season. Articulate and introspective, Goy has a perspective on his Illinois State experience.
I think that Illinois State has shown me that, no matter what you do in life, as long as you put forth dedication and hard work, you can be successful in whatever you do, said Goy.
While there might be some contention about Piggs proclamation of Goy as one of the best, few would bother to debate that Goy has been one of the most successful student-athletes ever at Illinois State.
