The U.S. collegiate sports (NCAA) system is home to more than 500,000 athletes. Track and field just happens to be one of the largest collegiate sports outside of football, soccer and basketball. Many football and basketball bloggers have scoured the Internet to find the best names in their respective sports, but track and field is ready to give the others a run for their money.
Here are some of the best current running names in collegiate track and field.
This Boston distance runner has everything going for him in terms of his name—horses are known for their endurance, and with a last name like American Horse, he was practically born to run fast.
Cadence Lapp – Southern Mississippi University
With a first name like Cadence and a last name like Lapp, it’s almost as if Southern Mississippi University recruited this middle-distance runner straight from a running dictionary. Lapp is certainly a frontrunner on this list, and the name is so good, it could even be a lap ahead.
Cree Ross – Centre College
This could be a stretch, but the more I say it, the more I like it. Although Ross is a long jumper, he definitely missed his calling to be some sort of cross-country star.
Aniyah Kitt – Clemson University
The sprinter for the Clemson Tigers might be a sleeper choice for the best running name in the NCAA, and it has a nice ring to it. Everyone needs a kit before the race, and with a name like hers, she’s always ready to go. Good thing she’s a sprinter, because if she ever moves to road running, she might have some registration issues—we can already picture the confusion at race kit pickup.
Mike Jump – University of Montana
“How was my jump?” With a last name like Jump, you can only assume he competes in the high or long jump—but no, he runs middle distance for the University of Montana.
Bri Rinn – University of Utah
If this distance runner’s races were any shorter than 800m, people would be calling her Bri Sprint.
Tony Trucks – University of Houston
Trucks aren’t exactly known for their speed, nor are the 110m hurdles (probably)—but this is an award-winning name. As one of the top-ranked hurdlers in the NCAA, we assume when Anthony Trucks hits the track, he’s hauling over the hurdles.
Honourable mention: Joe Fast – Princeton University (recent grad)
We couldn’t list the best running names in the NCAA and leave out the top Canadian name. With a name like Joe Fast, you probably don’t need a GPS watch—his last name already told you everything you needed to know. You’d have to be shaking in your carbon-plated shoes if you ever saw a name like this on your heat sheet/start list. Although he graduated last year, we had to give Mr. Fast a quick honourable mention.
