COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Todd Iacovelli, right, of HPU ran with teammate Brandon Laan at Kapiolani Park yesterday.
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Iacovelli’s next move may be to nationals
The Punahou alumnus returned to Oahu to run for Hawaii Pacific
Todd Iacovelli knows when to make his move.
And that applies to his life's path as much as it does to his cross-country races.
Iacovelli is back in Hawaii after a stellar distance career at the University of Michigan, and -- surprisingly -- he's finishing out his eligibility this fall for Hawaii Pacific University.
Iacovellian accomplishments
Highlights from Todd Iacovelli's running career
Punahou School
» Five-time state champion
» Record-holder in the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs
» Two-time Gatorade Hawaii track and field athlete of the year
» Ran 8:33 in the 3,000-meter run
University of Michigan
» Ran 14:23 in the 5,000-meter run
» Named Big Ten athlete of the week
» Selected to All-Big Ten academic team four years
Hawaii Pacific University
» Winner of four of five races so far this year, two hosted by Brigham Young-Hawaii, one by Hawaii-Hilo and one by HPU
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But the question begs to be answered -- why drop to Division II after his success during three competitive years (and one redshirt) in Division I?
With an undergraduate degree in hand, Iacovelli wanted to further his education but didn't want to stay in the Midwest.
"Actually, my thinking was that the smartest business decision was to get a free education," said Iacovelli, a Punahou alumnus, who is in the MBA program at HPU and was awarded a scholarship for his final year of eligibility.
Coming home to the warm weather of Hawaii and the ability to mingle with people in Honolulu's business community also factored into his decision.
"Five years ago, I said to him, jokingly, 'If you ever get tired of Michigan, come to HPU,' " said Sea Warriors coach Christian Friis, who was an HPU runner at the time."
Some joke.
Now the two have a symbiotic relationship that seemed unimaginable back then.
"At Michigan, I worked myself too hard in all aspects," Iacovelli said. "I was running cross country and indoor and outdoor track, doing a double major, working 15 hours a week, and trying to run 100 miles a week and that was way too much.
"Christian understands my body fragility, and he knows when I should be taking it easy and when I should be going hard. At Michigan, I was always running hard. There was never a day when we took it easy.
"Most runners will have a decrease in performance right before they get hurt. For me in training, I get faster, faster and faster with no decrease in performance and no sign of an (impending) injury."
As a result, Iacovelli was injured at Michigan a lot. He had two stress fractures in his leg and one in his foot in addition to Achilles' tendinitis, a severe calf strain and knee surgery.
"I'm sure if I were healthy, I would have improved much more," he said.
Iacovelli considers his 5,000-meter time of 14 minutes, 23 seconds among his top accomplishments in college. He was also named the Big Ten athlete of the week once and was chosen to the All-Big Ten academic team four years.
But his best race "by far," to date, was an 8:33 in the 3,000 meters in high school at a meet on the mainland. He also holds the state-meet records of 4:05 in the 1,500 and 9:01 in the 3,000.
Iacovelli, a bright-eyed 23-year-old who hails from Kailua, wants to close out his career with three more races. The Pacific West Conference Championships are tomorrow in Hilo and the NCAA II West Regionals are in California on Nov. 4. If he qualifies, he'll go to the NCAA II National Championship in Florida on Nov. 18.
"What I'm doing right now is eight years in the making," said Iacovelli, who credits his Punahou coach, Duncan Macdonald, for shaping him into an elite runner. "Since coming back to Hawaii, I've run 1,500 miles in training for what boils down to 25-minute races. It's not an even trade-off, but it's all working toward getting the best out of myself, to do the best I can possibly do. And I'm going to find out what is the best I can possibly do."
Getting the best out of oneself isn't always easy, and Iacovelli would like to pass on his knowledge of the discipline involved in running to others.
He's already doing it as an informal assistant to Friis. Next year, it's in the works for Iacovelli to stay on as Friis' official assistant.
In a short HPU Web-site biography, it's written that Iacovelli's goal is "to make a positive difference," which is easy to stay, but harder to do.
"My mom headed a center for public service and I got to see firsthand how one-on-one interaction can cause a positive result. In (the biography), I didn't mean an overarching difference. I meant it as working one-on-one with people and help bring something to their lives."
Coaching distance running is one place to start.
"He knows just as much about running as I do, and he's relaying what he knows on to the other runners," Friis said.
As for coaching an elite athlete of Iacovelli's caliber, Friis had some initial worries.
"I was a little intimidated about being his coach after Duncan and (nationally respected Michigan coach) Ron Warhurst," Friis said. "Am I pushing him too hard? Am I keeping him back a little bit too much? You can always make people tired. But it's much harder to keep them fresh. I think we found the fine line."
A solid work ethic with that goal to be the best he can be is the major force in Iacovelli's life.
"I see it as an important teaching tool," he said. "For runners, talent and luck come in to play, but you have control to be focused on what you're doing and to be unafraid that no matter how much hard work you do, you still might not win. I always want to win, but that's not my goal.
"I would be stoked to be the best runner in Hawaii, but I can't control that because there's always someone better. All four years I was at Michigan, I wasn't even the fastest runner in my house. I wanted to be the fastest runner. It doesn't mean there was anything wrong with me. I was taught discipline and to push yourself and I want to pass that on."
Iacovelli has been attending the Hawaii high school meets this season and sees many kids who could go to the next level, maybe even at HPU.
"It wasn't the initial thought, but (Sea Warriors assistant) Matt (Stevens) brought it up to both of us -- let people see this (HPU) as an option," Friis said.
Iacovelli's competitive college cross-country journey will be done soon. He'll remember all the Michigan highlights, and hopefully a few at HPU.
"I'm right where I need to be," Iacovelli said about the upcoming races. "I have one shot at this (the regionals and possibly the nationals) and only a few runners qualify."
Friis feels Iacovelli will do well, but didn't want to make any predictions. Both, however, had a look in their eyes, as if to say they think something big may happen.
"I look forward to seeing him run, and then having him here as an assistant," Friis said.