March 10, 2011
By Art Garcia for UTAMavs.com
ARLINGTON, Tex. - He's a freshman at UT Arlington, a sophomore athlete according to the NCAA and a newcomer to this country. This weekend he'll compete for a national championship.
It's been quite a year for Romain Martin... and it's not over yet.
Martin is headed to College Station to take part in the NCAA Indoor Championships as an automatic qualifier in the heptathlon. The 21-year-old native of Le Mans, France shattered both UTA and conference records this in the event this season. Now he's up against the best the country has to offer starting Friday at Texas A&M.
"I just want to try to do my best in each event and then we'll see," Martin said. "I'm trying to be first, and if I'm not that doesn't matter. I'm just trying to do my best."
So far, his best has been historically good - as evidenced by the Southland Conference and UTA record books. Martin captured Southland Conference men's track Athlete of the Year honors after a breakthrough "rookie" season. Though he's in his first year of college in the United States, NCAA regulations require for Martin to be listed as a sophomore because of his age. (He did attend two years of college in France).
The improvement Martin has made this year is nothing short of amazing, UTA field coach Brandon Berger said. Before coming to UTA, Martin's personal best in the heptathlon was 5439 in an international meet. He's since pushed that to 5728, which earned the automatic trip to the NCAAs.
"That's almost 300 points, which is a big jump," Berger said. "He broke the conference record, the school record and qualified for nationals, so it's been a good season. He's gotten better each time he's stepped out there."
While Martin has improved in each of the seven categories that make up the heptathlon, the single biggest spike occurred in the pole vault.
"He's made little gains in the other events, but the pole vault has been the biggest difference," Berger said. "He's gotten at least 150-200 points from the pole vault alone."
Why such a gain? Martin isn't quite sure.
"I can't explain why," he said. "I'm really surprised by pole vault. I didn't expect that I was going so high in so short a time."
Martin did point out that he's had more time to train at UTA than back home. The typical college course load in France, he said, was about 30-33 hours per week. He's taken about half that at UTA. Going to school in the States has presented other challenges, particularly language, but he's adjusting.
The emphasis on weight lifting and physical conditioning has also been far more intense and effective than anything Martin experienced in France. At 6-foot-7 and a former basketball player, Martin has always been athletic. Being relatively new to the heptathlon - he's only done it for three years - Martin is also open to coaching.
"Some international students can be a little more difficult," Berger said. "They're often older, they've had better coaching and are set in their ways. He's been open to learning and adapting. It's been much more pleasant than I expected. He's a good kid. He wants to do well and that really helps."
Martin heads to the NCAAs ranked ninth nationally and he's only about 50 points removed from fifth. He said 5800 is possible and Berger isn't about to argue. The heptathlon will take place Friday and Saturday.
"If he has a good meet, he could be anywhere up to second place," Berger said. "You never know. You've got seven events and seven opportunities to make a mistake or improve. I feel he can be in the top eight and be an All-American."
All-American status for this Frenchman isn't as much of the goal as standing on the podium as one of the top-three finishers. Taking on the best around is ample incentive.
"That's good motivation," Martin said. "The biggest difference in the U.S. is the level is very high. I like it. It's good motivation. I'm really excited about that."
