Spring Break
Superstars
For Mayo and Lucas, speed is the name of the game
By: Patrick Hayslip
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Sports
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At comparable stages in their track careers, they have taken similar paths and faced similar challenges as they hope to bring Texas A&M an NCAA Outdoor Championship.
Lucas and Mayo started track in the seventh grade. Lucas, a Plano, Texas, native, and Mayo, from Raleigh, N.C., have people to thank for their successes.
"My aunt, who was my high school coach, got me to where I am now," Mayo said. "She ran track at Clemson and was at the 1996 Olympics. Her and my dad were the ones that got me started."
Mayo said her first experience with track did not go well.
"The very first time I ran track was in fifth grade," Mayo said. "I quit."
Lucas had a different experience growing up. Her natural talent and skill were a surprise to her.
"In middle school, I broke our city record in the 200-meter, so I thought to myself, 'maybe I should stay in this,'" Lucas said. "So I continued running and I broke district and regional record in high school. I continued to get better coaching, so that really made me love it."
When deciding on potential colleges to continue their track careers, Lucas, a kinesiology major and Mayo, a sports management major, had many choices.
Lucas got offers from Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and South Carolina, but wanted to go to A&M.
"The school itself and all the networking A&M has was really important but I guess the main reason would be the coaches," Lucas said. "Coach [Vince] Anderson is a great coach and I know he has done so many things throughout his years of coaching. All of them know what they are doing."
Mayo was in a different situation when college was on the horizon.
"I was the No. 1 recruit in my class so I could have gone anywhere," Mayo said. "I only went on two visits. I only went to Southern California and here because the other schools, there was no other point. I could have gone to any school you could name. I even got a letter from Harvard."
Lucas and Mayo had one reason in common for choosing A&M: the coaches.
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