Angelo Goss started taking track seriously in high school after a phone call from a college coach trying to recruit him. The call came from a coach at Florida International University who was interested in Goss running hurdles for the Panthers.

For Goss, the call changed his outlook. He had never thought about going to college.

“I started loving track,” Goss said, “watching track, learning more about each event.”

Goss, now a senior hurdler at Syracuse, took a winding path to where he is today, with stops in Kansas and Alabama along the way. But to get to a Division I college to run, Goss needed to get his grades up. And so, he found himself at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas.

At Coffeyville, Goss found plenty of success. He became a National Junior College Athletic Association national champion in two events in 2015, winning the 60-meter hurdles indoors and the 110-meter hurdles outdoors. Junior college championships gave Goss his Division I shot, and he joined the Alabama Crimson Tide in fall 2015.

During his time in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Goss dealt with injuries, but finished 11th in the 60-meter hurdles in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship in 2017 in his second year with the Crimson Tide. He earned second-team All-American status.

However, something was not quite right.

“I wasn’t really focused at Alabama,” Goss said. “So, the head coach (Dan Waters) sat down with me and said you know, ‘You’re not focused here, I need you to go somewhere to be more focused.’”

In his search for a new school, Goss eyed Syracuse. Dave Hegland, SU’s assistant coach in charge of hurdling, loved Goss’s ability, calling him “a stud” and “a proven commodity in the college ranks.”

Hegland also cited Goss’ personality, particularly his easy-going manner, and the fact he’s an experienced runner.

“He’s a good technical hurdler,” Hegland said, “certainly an easy guy. You definitely want that guy.”

Goss, knowing Syracuse’s history of track success, believed in what the program could do for him. He also got the sense it could be the place he could stay focused and get better.

“A lot of good hurdlers came through here,” Goss said. “I want to be like the rest of them and be successful.”

So far this season, Goss has not disappointed. He finished first in the 60-meter hurdles at the Albany Great Dane Classic on Jan. 13 with his best time of the season: 7.69 seconds. He followed that up with a first-place finish at the Upstate Challenge on Jan. 20 and second-place finish at the Harvard Crimson Elite Invitational on Feb. 2.

Goss said he believes his transition to Syracuse has gone well and he likes training on an indoor track as opposed to the grass at Alabama. He’s also had guidance from his teammates and volunteer assistant Freddie Crittenden III, who graduated in the spring as a five-time All-American.

“The team, they helped me out a lot,” Goss said. “Teaching me what I need to do, about my diet, sleep and pretty much technique over the hurdles and stuff.”

Goss’s teammates have learned from him, as well. David Gilstrap said he has the most wisdom to give about Syracuse hurdling, but Goss has more wisdom about hurdling overall from his age and experience. Goss offers advice about what has and hasn’t worked for him in the past, Gilstrap said.

“I feel like he’s transitioned very well here,” Gilstrap said. “I like him a lot. He’s a very good training partner, very good competitor. He definitely helps push our hurdle group to where it should be.”

Goss committed to a health routine including getting eight hours or more of sleep, consuming his protein and taking vitamins every day. After battling injuries at Alabama, Hegland is impressed with Goss’s health.

SU has been conservative with Goss’s training, Hegland said, because injuries are really the only thing that could slow him down.

“Talented people, you just got to get them to the line,” Hegland said. “He’s that kind of guy.”

Published on February 6, 2018 at 10:22 pm

Contact Eric: estorms@syr.edu