Senior and two-time All-American Chris Kinney began his last season on the Hilltop hot off the blocks, winning the men’s 60-meter hurdles at the Navy Invitational on Dec. 5.
“Being the first race of the year, I was naturally excited,” Kinney said. “Up until the gun, my entire focus was just to race.”
Not only did Kinney finish first, he set a facility record with his preliminary round time of 7.84 seconds.
Since coming to the Hilltop, Kinney has not wasted any time leaving his mark on the program. In his sophomore year, he was the Big East champion in the 110-meter hurdles and accomplished the same feat in his junior year for the 60-meter hurdles. Kinney owns the all-time Georgetown record in both events with times of 13.77 and 7.83 respectively. His progression over the years along with his fast start this year have impressed coaches as well.
“I think it’s a great start,” assistant coach Marlo Mincey said. “It just really shows his dedication to do all the small things during preseason.”
The Big East took notice and recognized Kinney’s early season feat by naming him the conference’s Male Athlete of the Week.
That’s only the beginning for Kinney though, as the men’s indoor track team still has six races, including the Hoya Invitational on Jan. 14. He has bigger goals he wants to achieve before the end of his senior year, like becoming the NCAA hurdles champion.
“To win a national title against the best runners in the country would be the biggest honor ever,” Kinney said. “As it is my senior year, I want to make the most I can out of it. Hopefully I will be able to continue to run after college. … [But] I have to put a lot of work in this season.”
