Eagle Staff Writer
Texas A&M hurdler Lindsey Adams must be liking the answers she's getting to her questions.
The senior from Lufkin has set personal bests this season in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles, qualifying for the NCAA Midwest Regional in both disciplines.
"I always ask [hurdle] coach [Vince] Anderson questions, little things, big things, and he always has an answer for me," said Adams. "Because if he tells me why I'm doing it, that gives me more motivation to do it vs. 'I don't want to do this, I don't understand this, this is stupid.' I ask lots of questions."
Anderson doesn't mind being interrogated during workouts.
"It's a quality I like in her," Anderson said. "I think coaches should always be able to explain why they do what they do. If we do something we don't have a reason for, then you can question that activity. Understanding how training affects your performance is a quality that, at some level, good athletes have."
Adams' performances have improved by nearly three-tenths of a second in the 100 hurdles (13.33) and nearly a second in the 400 hurdles (59.32).
Adams has made hurdling a priority in her final season, which is one of the biggest reasons for her improvement.
During last year's fall and indoor seasons, the Aggie coaches experimented with Adams in the heptathlon. Both parties felt Adams' athleticism could have made it work with more time, but that was a luxury they didn't have.
"We gave that a fair evaluation and it was probably not the best move to make, in hindsight," Anderson said. "When we made it we felt it was the right move, and we gave it a fair shot, but we saw some limitations that we thought would be hard to overcome."
Adams qualified for the NCAA meet in the 100 hurdles as a sophomore but finished sixth in regionals as a junior and did not advance.
"Whenever I was doing the heptathlon I wasn't getting nearly enough practice, and it showed in my [hurdle] races," Adams said "And now that I'm doing hurdles, I get a lot more practice and I'm getting better at the small details and that makes a big differences at the end."
Adams, one of the last Aggies recruited by former track coach Ted Nelson, said her time on campus has flown by. But she's eager to get her final postseason underway, starting with the Big 12 outdoor meet next weekend.
"I'd like to be in the Top 3 in both races," Adams said. "It's not going be easy. I'm going to have to work for it, but that's where I'd like to be."
Adams' best event is the 100 hurdles, the race she enjoys most. She is ranked second in both the region and the Big 12. In the 400 hurdles, Adams is third in the region and fourth in the Big 12.
Breaking 1 minute in the 400 was a big boost to Adams' confidence.
"Just knowing that what I wanted to do I actually did was important, because I'd been running fast at practice but when it came to the meet I would kind of fumble the game plan a little bit," said Adams, who moved into the Top 10 of the Aggie record book with her run at LSU. "When I actually did it and saw that it didn't kill me, it was a good feeling."
Adams ran her personal best in the 100 prelims at the Penn Relays in April. Earlier that day she ran the third leg of the shuttle hurdles for the Aggies, who despite finishing second, broke the American record in the event held at just two meets a year.
"It wasn't a thorough race. It was a good race, so I know there is still more there," Adams said of her 100. "I could have a better start and lower my [personal best] even more. That's just getting technically and rhythmically faster."
Adams finished off her high school career by winning the 2004 Class 5A state championship in the 300 hurdles. She was also a regional champion in both the 100 and 300 hurdles as a junior and senior.
Anderson sees her finishing her collegiate career just as strong.
"She's just resolved in her mind that she wants to go out in style," Anderson said. "She's a senior and I think she has a sense that she can be better than she has been and I think she made a decision to go in that direction."
NOTES -- A&M has an opportunity to win the overall Lone Star Showdown at the Big 12 meet. If the A&M men and women finish ahead of Texas, the Aggies will win the overall title for the first time in the four-year history. "It would be good for both men and women because the women have become successful more quickly than the men, and the men are sometimes down," Adams said. "If we could both beat Texas together like that, it would be amazing." ... Adams' one regret at A&M is that the Aggies never hosted a meet during her four years at A&M. "That is a huge disappointment, especially since they are going to host a lot of meets next year," Adams said. "The campus doesn't know about our track team. We are just kind of under the radar."
• Richard Croome's e-mail address is richard.croome@theeagle.com.
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