With the indoor track season underway, the University of Wisconsin men’s track team will rely upon solid performances from its distance runners, especially those of junior Josh Spiker. Spiker has established himself as a star performer for Coach Ed Nuttycombe in his first two seasons at Wisconsin.

Despite winning all-American honors in indoor track in 2002 and 2003 and in outdoor track in 2002, Spiker was dissatisfied with how he finished last year’s outdoor track season.

“Last year in outdoor (track), I wanted to qualify for the national championship, but I got hurt during the season. This year I’d like to make the national finals, which lead to the Olympic trials. That’s the ultimate goal. But realistically, I’d be happy with just making the national finals.”

In the indoor season this spring, Spiker has already picked up a victory in the 3000-meter race at the Wisconsin Invitational meet held in late January. But that wasn’t exactly Spiker’s first taste of competition this school year.

Spiker has also racked up impressive honors as a member of the UW men’s cross-country team, winning all-American honors in his freshman year of cross country, and all-region honors last fall. Spiker closed out the season with a No. 65 overall placing at the national championships, helping the Badgers to a second-place finish at the meet.

The Ventura, Calif. native began his track career at the tender age of six.

“I saw people running at the park, and my mom asked me if I wanted to try it. And at first I wasn’t really good, but I loved the idea of racing people.”

After a very successful high school career that saw a state championship during his junior year and track all-American honors in 1999 and 2000, Spiker found traditional powers Oregon and Stanford courting his services in addition to Wisconsin. Spiker ultimately chose to become a Badger.

“The coaching here was important. I was close to my high school coach, and (UW cross- country coach Jerry Stellmacher) was young, enthusiastic, and we connected on a good level, and Wisconsin had a great tradition of success.”

After arriving in Madison, Spiker has excelled in both sports for the Badgers, but he has noted his own preference for track competition between the two.

“Mainly I love the mile. When you’re running the mile and you get halfway through and the pain starts to come, you know you’ve only got two minutes and a half mile left to go. In a cross-country race, when you start to hurt halfway through, you’ve still got three miles left.”

When in competition for the Badger track team, Spiker participates in the mile, the 1500, 3000 and 5000-meter individual races, as well as the distance relay medley relay team.

Wisconsin track coach Ed Nuttycombe isn’t afraid to underscore the importance of the distance-running component of track competition.

“It is true there is a long history of very accomplished distance runners. Obviously a program draws upon its history and because of that, there continues to be a draw and a focus in the distance area.”

When asked if he would like to add to the tradition and keep running competitively after college, Spiker is cautiously optimistic.

“If I can stay healthy, yeah, I’d like to keep running, but I’ve had a lot of injuries in high school and college.”

If Spiker can remain healthy for the rest of the indoor and outdoor track seasons, he will look to repeat his 2002 performance of indoor and outdoor track all-American honors. Spiker and the rest of the Badger men’s team will look to defend its Big Ten indoor track title this weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich.