Tal Hamel came to UB not really knowing what he wanted to study, but he knew he wanted to run collegiate track.
It's no exaggeration to say he made a good decision.
Hamel's belief in himself played a key role in the results he produced on the track.
Hamel, who is nearing the end of his junior season, is the school record holder in the indoor 300 meters with a time of 33.99 seconds and is second all-time in the outdoor 200 meters with a time of 21.02 seconds.
“When we went outdoors, we didn’t really know what kind of shape we were in,” Hamel said. “But at that point in the season, to experience that drop in time, for my coach it was like, 'Oh no, we're on track.' It was a big eye-opener. It was something to keep an eye on.'' I'm glad. “'
Hamel's freshman year, his first season at UB, was no different. He was named the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Freshman Track Performer of the Year at the MAC Outdoor Championships, placing third overall in the 400 meters and helping him win a bronze medal in the 4×100 meter relay.
Hamel credited his brother for arriving at UB and felt it was a place where he could grow.
“My brother came here as a freshman, so it was familiar to me,” Hamel said. “I've always wanted to run a DI. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in the majors, but I knew I wanted to run a DI.”
Hamel currently beats the school record in the 200-meter dash by 0.07 seconds, which he admitted is motivating him to move up UB's all-time leaderboard.
“Coming into the game, I looked at the leaderboard and wanted to get as high as I could,” Hamel said. “As of last year, I knew I had a good chance of breaking both school records, but I just knew that it would only take time and a good performance in the race. ”
Despite his success at the collegiate level, Hamel had to overcome considerable adversity to get to where he is today.
Hamel got into track and field late. He grew up in the northern New Hampshire school system, where there was no athletics. It wasn't until his family moved to New York that he started thinking seriously about the sport.
His freshman year at UB was also rocky. Hamel's debut season was derailed midway through by a virus that forced him to take time off before his return, but Hamel remained calm throughout the entire process.
“It's only natural for that to happen,” Hamel said. “It was definitely one of the biggest things I went through my freshman year, but I’m glad I was able to get through it and bounce back.”
In high school, it was a different kind of virus that got Hamel evicted. His senior season was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the school had no fall sports. He decided to keep running and moved to Virginia Beach with his uncle and aunt in December, according to . Hamel's 2021 interview with the Times Union.
Hamel took classes remotely and trained based on a training plan given to him by his high school track coach, Darnell Douglas. Coach Douglas wanted to find a way for his runners to compete, and it was he who came up with the idea for Hamel to move south. The two still have a close relationship.
“My high school coach is still someone I consult with often,” Hamel said. “He's the guy who really introduced me to this sport and kind of took it over. He became not only one of my closest role models, but a really close friend of mine. .”
Even if Hamel moved to Virginia Beach, pandemic restrictions would still be in place and he would have only two races left to post a time that would lead to a college recruiting offer. He ran a time of 35.21 seconds in his first race, which was enough to interest a school like UB.
He credits Coach Douglas' training plan and pre-race mental preparation for being able to achieve his goal in such a limited window of opportunity.
“I think of racing as an accumulation of practice,” Hamel said. “If you believe in yourself and what you have practiced for hundreds of hours, everything will take care of itself.”
Hamel is confident in himself and his training, with his eyes set on the upcoming MAC Championship and the possibilities beyond this season before his senior season begins next winter.
“I’m just building on what I’ve been doing,” Hamel said. “I think it's fine either way. [track] Every athlete's dream is to finish in the top 48 in their region at an event. This is a huge accomplishment and I hope that if I can achieve it, especially in my junior year, I can have even bigger goals next year. ”
Henry Daley is assistant sports editor and can be contacted at: henry.daley@ubspectrum.com
Henry Daly is the next assistant sports editor. spectrum. His work has also been featured on other platforms such as Medium and Last Word on Sports. Outside of his newspaper, he enjoys running and watching sports (when he's not writing about sports).