UNLV's Fraser has chance at Olympics with Canada

Even though Olympic hopeful Judy Fraser has been running for only five years, she knows she is running out of time.

But the timing might be perfect.

Fraser, a 400-meter star on the UNLV track and field team, happens to be running out her senior season in an Olympic year, and the Toronto native currently owns Canada's fastest time of 1996 at 54.90 seconds.

She and her teammates will open their outdoor season Saturday at the UNLV Desert Classic, featuring world-class competition in Texas, ranked No. 3 in the nation. Idaho State and Southern Utah will bring both their men's and women's teams. The meet starts at 10:35 a.m. at Partridge Stadium.

"Going to the Olympics has been a dream I've had the past four years when I tried out for the Canadian team," said Fraser, who has earned All-American status once in the 400, and twice in the 4x400-meter relay. "I missed the final by two positions.

"I think of the opening ceremonies, carrying the Canadian flag onto the track with the national anthem playing and then, with the camera pointing on me, waving to my family and my boyfriend.

"I really, really want to make the (national) team, but I don't know how much time I have left."

Fraser, a three-time Academic All-American with a 3.7 cumulative grade-point average, is eager to start her career as an elementary school teacher and doesn't want to run on the side.

"My career is going to be starting soon and I can't run and teach at the same time," she said. "Both are full-time jobs as far as I'm concerned, and I feel really fulfilled to be a teacher. That's why I'm not worried if I don't keep running anymore. I can't wait to get my own classroom and have apples on my desk.

"That's why I want a good end to my track career. I want to end it with a bang."

But to do so, Fraser needs to drop her time below 52 seconds. Her personal best in the open 400 is 53.10.

"I ran 51.60 on a relay before and 53.10 in the open, and that was two years ago," she said. "I'm so much stronger and more confident today. I wasn't mentally tough two years ago."

She didn't hold her nation's best time, either. Although Fraser downplays that feat because she attained it during the indoor season.

Coincidentally, UNLV teammate Cheryl Allen owns the second fastest.

"Just saying I have the best time doesn't mean anything at all," she said. "They don't have Olympics for indoor track. A lot of people don't run indoor. A lot of people don't peak until outdoor."

Fraser looks at this weekend's competition as a prime opportunity to find out if she has what it takes.

"It feels good to get such good competition," she said. "It's a good first meet. I'll be able to see where I am now.

"This meet is a personal-best thing. Winning means nothing to me at all. I just want to run a good time and qualify for the NCAAs. I want to get that out of the way."

To automatically qualify for the NCAA championships, she must run a time of 52.60 during the season. If not enough runners reach that time, however, 54.30 is the provisional mark.

"As long as I try my best," she said, "that's really all I can do."

archive