Port Coquitlam's Andrew Boss was just hoping to set the pace Saturday in Seattle. Instead, he set a record.
The 21-year-old Terry Fox secondary school grad and Simon Fraser Clan sprinter scampered to third in his heat and sixth overall in the men's 400 metres in the talent-laden University of Washington Husky Classic indoor track and field meet.
His blistering personal-best time of 48.27 seconds set a new Great Northwest Athletic Conference (NCAA Div. 2) standard, one he hopes to eclipse at this weekend's 2011 GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Nampa, Idaho. He's also set to compete in the NAIA indoor nationals March 3 in Geneva, Ohio. In August, the Business major aims to represent Canada at the World University Games in Beijing, China.
In Seattle, Boss said he wasn't "too far off" his outdoor PB time of 47.97 ticks in the outdoor 400 m, which is remarkable given the tighter confines indoors coupled with the often harsh weather factor outdoors. "It was exciting and really unexpected," Boss told The Tri-City News on the phone Wednesday night. "I like running indoors because I find it more intense... more bumping and shoving [between competitors]. It's more strategic, I think, more than anything."
Boss also bolted to sixth in his other event, the 200 m, at the Husky Classic, where he clocked in at 21.95, which ranked him fourth all-time in the GNAC and is the best mark in the conference this winter.
Blasting down the track seems to be in the Boss's blood. Andrew's dad, Roy, formerly competed at SFU and his older sister, Traci, was a hurdler with the Clan and still manages and trains with the squad.
"My dad always encouraged us to compete," said Andrew, whose been doing so since age 9.
Two other Terry Fox grads are current members of the Clan track team, including senior Thomas Overs (200 and 400 m) and freshman Heather Carviel (800 and 1500 m).
