Fresno State Athletics
Padilla Takes Long Road to Top
9/15/1999 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Sept. 15, 1999
Senior cross country runner Tim Padilla is a classic example of a blue collar worker. He?s your basic overachiever, someone who defies the odds. He?s one of those athletes that isn?t supposed to compete with the best, but does anyway.
"[Tim] is the epitome of the hard working guy," said Estes. "He is very steady, very dependable. He just continues to grind it out."
Padilla came to Fresno State in the fall of 1995 and walked-on as a freshman who hadn?t been recruited whatsoever. He wasn?t extremely fast or quick, but he definitely wanted to run in any race he could. It happened that nobody else wanted to run in the steeplechase that year, so the willing Padilla took a shot at it.
Since then, Padilla?s strides have been small and subtle, but the results have been mammoth. Going into a steeplechase event at the University of Florida last April, he faced the challenge of competing against runners who had far better times then he had ever run. But Padilla?s hard-nosed tactics allowed him to surprise the opposition and he pulled out the win. Coach Estes described that flair of his as a come-get-me-if-you-can type of attitude.
The process hasn?t been easy, however. Padilla has come along way from being a walk-on to the cross country squad?s top runner this season.
"I?ve just tried to stay consistent and keep focused," Padilla said.
Possibilities for top recognition will increase for Padilla as well as the rest of the team. Because the Western Athletic Conference is now half what it used to be, there are fewer runners. Coach Estes believes that Padilla could crack the top 15.
"The early indications are that he?ll be finishing a lot higher in the WAC than he did last year," coach Estes said.
Padilla echoed Estes? outlook: "I think I can be among the best at what I do in the conference."
Besides his passion for running, Padilla has a major interest in art. He hopes to become a teacher in that field, write books on the side, and someday compose paintings. Of course he?d like to teach the art of cross country as well, something he certainly knows something about.
By Curtis Webb
