Spotlight On German Fernandez

Spotlight On German Fernandez An in-depth look at Oklahoma State's NCAA track champion



German Fernandez

July 21, 2009


STILLWATER, Okla. - Expectations couldn't be much higher for Oklahoma State runner German Fernandez.

He was tagged by some observers as the next big thing in American track and field after being recognized as the Gatorade National Boys Athlete of the Year following his senior year at Riverbank High School in California.

Do a search of the internet and there are headlines such as "German Fernandez, the Greatest Runner Ever?" and "Fernandez - America's Star for the Future", among a host of others.

As a freshman at OSU in 2008-09, Fernandez continued to grow his reputation, winning the NCAA outdoor 1,500 meter championship to go with five Big 12 individual titles. He became the first Oklahoma State runner ever to win the Big 12 individual cross country championship and was named Big 12 indoor and outdoor male athlete of the year. Fernandez was also recognized as the Midwest region indoor and outdoor male track athlete of the year.

Along the way, he set a junior indoor world record in the mile and the American junior record in the outdoor 5,000 meters.

Pretty heady stuff for an 18-year-old, especially one who didn't even commit himself to the sport until late in his high school career.

"I wasn't really into it because I liked basketball and in eighth grade, I just signed up to play basketball and soccer," Fernandez said. "My freshman year of high school, believe it or not, I played football. I was a cornerback and I was actually pretty good and made the varsity team. I had eight picks. After that, I decided to play basketball and track my sophomore year. It wasn't until my junior year that I settled down and did track because it was time for me to try and get serious and maybe get somewhere. I knew I was pretty talented, so I just wanted to stick with it."





That decision set off a chain of events that led to one of the greatest performances in the history of track and field at the high school level.

At the California state championships his senior year, Fernandez set a meet record by running the 1,600 meters in 4:00.29 then came back just two hours later to shatter the national record in the 3,200 meters with a time of 8:34.23. That mark bettered the previous national record by more than six seconds and made him an international celebrity within the sport.

In fact, he received a lucrative offer from a major shoe company to bypass college altogether and go pro immediately after high school. Fernandez declined the offer and chose to enroll at Oklahoma State.

"It's very important for me to get a college degree because I would be the first in my family to do that," Fernandez said. "A lot of people ask me why I don't just turn pro right now and that would be easy to do, but you just never know if you're going to have a serious injury or if something is going to happen. My education is the most important thing because I can't run forever. When I am done running, I have to go on to something else, which is where that degree is going to come into play."

Making Fernandez's decision to come to OSU even more interesting is the fact that he was not raised in luxury and could have benefitted from the big paycheck.

"We lived in trailers and my parents both worked in a cannery. We moved a lot. From first grade through fifth grade, I was probably in nine different schools," Fernandez said. "The cannery was a seasonal job and wasn't year-round, so the moving probably had an effect on me because it was hard to make new friends every time. My parents were always working to support us and they weren't home a whole lot. That's where sports came into play. I would think that maybe sports could be a way out and get me to college. I was always thinking about that. My parents didn't make a lot of money and probably couldn't afford it, so I just tried to make the best of it through sports."

Sure enough, colleges lined up to sign Fernandez and he had his choice of the top programs in the nation. He said there were several things that separated Oklahoma State from the other schools.

"It felt right. I was just looking for a place where I would fit in and that would help me academically. The academic support that we have here at Oklahoma State was big for my parents," Fernandez said. "Pretty much what did it was the cross country guys here. They told me all about Stillwater and OSU. They weren't lying or being fake. I could just tell that they were being truthful and honest. All they wanted to do was to build something here at Oklahoma State that they didn't have before. We'll get there. We just need to get the right recruits in here and we'll get there soon."

Once he settled in at Oklahoma State, success followed immediately with his Big 12 individual cross country title, but that joy was replaced with the sour taste of disappointment when Fernandez pulled up with an injury at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and was unable to finish the race. The Cowboy freshman was at the center of all storylines heading into the event and was considered a very real candidate to win the NCAA crown in his first year. Instead, those dreams were replaced with images of Fernandez being carried off the course.

Though the injury seemed devastating at the time, Fernandez said it was actually a blessing for him because it allowed him to rehabilitate away from the intense scrutiny that has followed him. He said it helped him get some much-needed rest and enabled him to recharge.

In his first race back from the injury, Fernandez returned to the business of turning heads on an international level when he set a new world junior record in the indoor mile with a 3:56.50 at the Razorback Invitational. As impressive as that mark was, it wasn't even his best of the season, as he broke his own record with a 3:55.02 at the Big 12 Championships. Fernandez was slated as the favorite to win the event at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was also a strong candidate to challenge for the 3,000 meter title, but elected not to run at the meet, instead choosing to represent his country at the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan. He placed 11th at that meet and was the first American to cross the finish line. In fact, he was the highest finisher not from an African nation.

The focus was back on Fernandez during the outdoor season and once again, he delivered. He won the NCAA title in the 1,500 meters, leading the race from beginning to end. Fernandez started the race in one of the outside lanes, sprinted immediately to the front and never relinquished his lead. In fact, he actually widened his advantage with a strong kick during the last 100 meters.

Just a couple weeks after winning his NCAA title - the first for a Cowboy since 1986 - Fernandez went on to set a new American junior record in the outdoor 5,000 meters with a 13:25.46 at the USA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. Even though his age qualified him to run in the junior race, Fernandez competed in the men's senior race at the event and placed fifth.

So how would he assess his freshman year at Oklahoma State, which will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest in school history?

"It was a phenomenal year, beside what happened at cross country. Things happen for a reason. Other than that though, everything went better than I expected," Fernandez said. "I did not believe I was going to accomplish as many things as I did. It was kind of crazy to me. At times I was wondering what in the heck I was doing. I'm only 18 and a freshman and I shouldn't be doing these things. I don't really have the answer. Some people think I'm this star or something but I'm just being myself. I just go out and run every day and I love to compete. It was a great year for me and I'll take this freshman year any day."
Courtesy OSU