Fred Harvey has always been a sprints/hurdles coach but after 37 years at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, he really didn’t have a marquee men’s sprinter to embrace. Finally, Friday evening at the NCAA championships in Oregon, Harvey cashed in.
Junior hurdler Zach Extine of Chandler’s Perry High School finished second in the NCAA finals in a school record 13.13 seconds. Extine was a walk-on on four years ago but used Harvey’s coaching to become an All-American. It was a joyful (and tearful) way for Harvey to complete his UA coaching career, although he says he’ll try to coach Extine next year. Harvey is, after all, the UA’s “coach emeritus.â€
Zach Extine broke his own record in Lubbock, Texas, at the Corky Classic in January.
“Doing this for coach Harvey meant a lot to me,†said Extine, who broke a school record set in 1984 by John Johnson. “He’s my guy, my coach.â€
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Extine has been an exemplary student-athlete; he is enrolled in the Eller College of Management.
Extine joins 1964 Pueblo High School state champion Dale Frederick as one of the two best men’s hurdlers in UA history. Frederick finished second at the 1966 NCAA championships and was a three-time WAC champion. He was soon elected to the UA Sports Hall of Fame and went on to become superintendent of the Mesa School District.
