Eric Fitzpatrick Gatorade Athlete

Edition Date: 06/19/08

Boise High junior-to-be Eric Fitzpatrick was named Gatorade Idaho Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year on Thursday, joining 2006 graduate John Mering as the second Braves distance runner to earn the honor in three years.

Fitzpatrick, also the 2007-08 Gatorade Idaho Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year, won 5A state titles at 1,600 and 3,200 meters in May with times of 4 minutes, 21.06 second and 9:35.66.

He won the state cross country championship in October and added a USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country age-group title (15-16) in December.

"Eric is so mature for his age and he has such emotional stability that he never gets too high or low after a meet," Boise distance coach Dave Mills said. "He knows it‚s all about hard work and he truly understands the benefit of effort. I‚ve heard many other coaches say they wish they had kids that worked that hard."

Fitzpatrick will compete Friday in the Emerging Elite Mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C.

(Note Nicole Nielsen of Borah High School, a Footlocker Qualifier in Cross Country, was named as the female Gatorade Athlete of the Week. Nicole was large school state champion in both track & XC & participated in the Golden West Invitational - Leo)

Boise High's track star Fitzpatrick came out of nowhere

Shawn Raecke / Idaho Statesman
Boise High sophomore Eric Fitzpatrick is the reigning 5A state and Junior Olympic national cross country champion in his age group. He will attempt to add two more titles to his growing resume at the 5A track and field state meet this week.

Boise High sophomore Eric Fitzpatrick already has the 5A state cross country title under his belt along with being a junior olympic national cross country champion. Today and Friday he will attempt to add a couple track titles to his growing resume at the 5A state track meet at Boise State.
BY JESSE ZENTZ - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Edition Date: 05/22/08

Once a hound, Boise High distance runner Eric Fitzpatrick is adjusting to his new role as a fox.

"It's a lot easier to just come out of nowhere and surprise people, but it's also important to feed on the pressure that people put on you," the sophomore said. "I'm still learning to use that pressure to my advantage."

The 5A District Three champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters will attempt to outfox the competition and win state titles in both events Thursday and Friday at Bronco Stadium.

The 3,200 finals are scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday and the 1,600 finals will be the penultimate event Friday evening.

"I think he's superior to the other guys, so I think he has that need to be in charge or at least be well aware of what's going on," Boise distance coach Dave Mills said. "Last year, he had no choice, but this year, he's the man."

Fitzpatrick began his high school running career with the modest expectations and potential many young runners possess. But early on, he exhibited something special.

As a freshman, he placed seventh at the 2006 state cross country meet. He backed up that performance by placing third in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600 at the 2007 state track and field meet.

Last fall, Fitzpatrick won the state cross country title and translated that success to the national stage, where he won the 15-16 age group at the USATF Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships.

"Based on what he's done, people kind of know he's the guy, he's the target now," Mills said. "But he's obviously much more mature than a normal sophomore. Yeah he's got a physical gift, but I think his biggest gift is his mental approach. He doesn't get up really high and he doesn't get really low."

Fitzpatrick said he's still adjusting to the target on his back, but he won't be the only fox running from the hounds this week.

Lake City sophomore Cody Helbling owns the season's fastest time in the 3,200 (9 minutes, 31.03 seconds) and Lake City senior John Coyle has run the fastest 1,600 (4:19.32).

Fitzpatrick, who hasn't faced either runner this season, ranks second at both distances with season bests of 9:36.20 and 4:20.49, respectively.

Coyle also has run the 3,200 in 9:40.00 and is ranked third in the state. Capital's Ryan Saunders (9:46.22), Caldwell's Tyler Curtis (9:48.27), Vallivue's Andres Jaramillo (9:52.03), and Boise teammates Max Hardy (9:59.56) and Greg Montgomery (9:59.72) should make Thursday's eight-lap race one of the most competitive in the 5A meet.

And Friday's 1,600 features seven competitors who have made four trips around the oval faster than 4:30.

"My goal for every meet is to win," an undaunted Fitzpatrick said. "State is exciting because you get to run against the best. There's a lot at stake."

If Fitzpatrick wins both events, he'll duplicate 2007 Boise graduate Nick Bolinder's feat at the 2006 state meet. Highland graduate Taylor Farnsworth won both events last year.

A couple years ago, Fitzpatrick wasn't thinking anything about state titles.

"I used to play soccer in seventh and eighth grade and I wasn't too good, so I stopped playing and moved to cross country and track," he said. "When I was playing soccer, I felt like I was always the bad person on the team. It's hard to be part of a sport that you're not successful at."

Now, the 16-year-old knows success presents a different challenge.