Nothing Runs Like a Harley

Whether it's Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, or Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens, it is easy to see that every successful team in sports has its leader. The University of Tampa men's track team is no exception.

The Spartans are led by two-time school record holder Kevin Harley, a true role model both on and off the track. Despite being a busy graduate student, Harley is back for his final season, to lead the Spartans one last time.

To most in the Tampa Bay running community, Kevin Harley became a household name after his performances over the past two seasons. It was just two years ago when he ran the famed 3:59, en route to a school record in the 1500m. He even managed to top that last year by breaking the 800m school record with a 1:55. To best understand the leadership Harley displays though, its beneficial to see how he arrived at UT.

Harley, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, was no stranger to the national spotlight coming out of high school. The highly sought-after recruit attended St. Petersburg Catholic High School, and experienced much attention from college coaches after finishing as state runner up in the 800m.

The recruiting process led Harley to stay local and attend the University of South Florida his freshman season. The mid distance runner was dissatisfied with USF though, and made the decision to transfer to UT for his sophomore year.

Harley credits UT cross country coach Jarrett Slaven as the main reason that drove him to UT. Slaven had turned a walk on program into a successful conference winning school. He also was attracted to the John Sykes College of Business, where he would eventually obtain a degree in entrepreneurship.

Since arriving on campus, the UT coaching staff has seen a change in the racing limitations of Harley. He does not have the build of your average runner. In addition to his daily runs over the past few seasons, he has also spent hours on end in the gym. This lethal combination led him to not only excel in the 800m where he dominated high school, but also move up to the 1500m distance.

Two school records may say enough about a college athlete, but Harley is more than just your typical leader on the track. He also excels in the classroom, and is a model teammate. Former track teammate Joe Ranalli describes Harley as, "A great runner, a great friend, and someone who always finds time to help everybody out."

Fellow mid distance runner Jake Bailey chimed in with insight on the success of Harley, saying, "He knows how to take it to the next level."
As for his success on the track, Harley has to thank his teammates for their support and for keeping him going. He also gives recognition to assistant coach Dror Vaknin.

The characteristics that really set Harley apart from others though, are his actions off the track. After four years of excelling in the classroom, the entrepreneurship major obtained a graduate assistant position in the college of business.

He is now working towards a Masters of Finance. In addition, Harley obtained a prestigious internship this spring with Ballast Point Ventures, a top venture capital company located in St. Petersburg. If that wasn't enough, Harley also is Vice President of UT Gold, a leadership and development organization.

With such a busy schedule this spring, it would have been easy for Harley to just take this track season off. His motivation to return came from his desire to promote the "Run for Ryan," a 5k race occurring on April 7 in Ybor City. The race is benefiting Ryan McCall, a former UT cross country and track runner who was tragically shot two years ago. More information on the race is located at www.ryanpmccall.com.

The combination of Harley's busy schedule, his current 3.75 GPA, and his notable success on the track, make him an easy role model for the younger athletes on the team. It's easy for any observer to see how the underclassmen look up to him as he barrels through track intervals every morning. When asked what drives him to be so successful, he simply replied, "The desire to be great."

As for Harley's goals for this season, he responded with, "Train as hard as I can and lead the team." An additional school record will be very difficult to come by, but nothing can be ruled out completely. Key dates for the men's track team include their home meet on April 14th and NCAA Nationals on May 25th in Pueblo, Colo.

Written by Mike Leone