MOBILE, Ala. – South African native Micheal Pienaar might be only a freshman, but he has made a vast impact on the track and cross country programs at the University of South Alabama in lit-tle over one semester.

First, he didn't enroll in school until spring classes began because of the academic calen-dar in his home country — Pienaar graduated from Parel Vallei High in December almost a year ago.  And upon arrival, he wasn't eligible while waiting for his high school gradua-tion certification.

"That was very difficult and nerve-racking," Pienaar said.  "When I left South Africa in De-cember, I wasn't sure if I would even stay because it all depended on my eligibility or not.  I didn't have my scholarship yet, so I wasn't able to get my books or compete, and I wasn't able to run with the team."

The wait proved to be worth it, both for Pienaar and the Jaguars.  After being cleared to compete in time for the outdoor track & field season, he would go on to earn all-Sun Belt Conference honors in three events while tying as the top scorer at the league's outdoor championships.  Pienaar won the 1,500 meters, placed second in the 10,000-meter run and finished third in the 5,000 meters, not only earning selection as the SBC Most Out-standing Freshman but helping USA place third in the team standings.

"It was really cool and an amazing feeling," Pienaar said of the accolades.  "I had a good season last year, I had a big leap in performance and in my times.  It was just confirmation that the work you have been doing was working."

He also had a late start to his initial cross country campaign for the Jags, but this time it was due to a coaching decision.

"I didn't race him until later because I wanted to make sure he a lot left in him when it mattered because he has the chance to go a little bit further in the season," explained USA head cross country coach David Barnett.  "If he ends up making it to [the NCAA] national championships we don't him to be like a tourist."

After missing the Jaguars first two races this fall, Pienaar made his cross country debut at the Chile Pepper Invitational hosted by Arkansas the opening weekend of October.  He picked up where he left off in the spring, leading the squad after finishing fifth in a field of 439 runners; as a result, Pienaar was named the SBC Male Runner of the Week.  Last time out at Alabama's Crimson Classic, he crossed the line third out of 261 competitors to once again post USA's best time.

"I think going toward [the] conference [championships] it has definitely helped my fitness and condition," Pienaar said of the delay the start of his cross country season.  "The level of competition was pretty high, so knowing that I can compete at that level has given me some confidence."

Pienaar's fast start this fall has raised his expectations for the postseason, which will begin when the Jaguars play host to the Sun Belt Championships at Battleship Memorial Park on Sunday, Nov. 2, and beyond.  "I would like to make [NCAA] regionals and then the NCAA championships," he explained.  "I am hoping to go under 14 minutes in the 5k next year, that is one of my big goals — it divides the boys from the men."

A 13-year-old Pienaar found himself falling in love with running when his dad encouraged him to start running with him.

"I wasn't a very athletic child to begin with, I played sports like field hockey and did a little bit of swimming and soccer, but I wouldn't say I was very athletically inclined," said Pienaar.  "My dad was a runner, and he encouraged me to run.  We started running around the block, and each day we would run a bit longer and a bit longer; it just took off from there.  I started to enjoy it."

Head track and field coach Paul Brueske found the talented South African while on holi-day.

"Initially Coach Bruseke contacted me when he was on holiday in South Africa," Pienaar said.  "I also knew Marina [Swanepoel, a hurdler for the women's track and field team] and heard through her that she enjoyed it and has had a great experience."

When deciding to commit to South Alabama, Pienaar knew the cross-country program at USA was one he wanted to be a part of and represent.  "I love the atmosphere of the uni-versity and atmosphere of the track team," he stated.  "The coaching and the facilities are excellent.  The area here is very important for distance running, the trails and the swamp loop are great training tools."

Before coming to the States for the first time since he was five years old, Pienaar was nervous to start a new chapter in his life.  But he found comfort and was helped in the transition by Swanepoel. 

"She told me how the university system here is very different," Pienaar observed.  "We have few universities, and they are very big and at South she told me you get a lot of indi-vidualized attention from educators.  She told me how good the track team was and how nice the facilities were, so that helped."

Moving to the United States is a big adjustment for any young teen.  Pienaar has found the most difficult one is not having assistance in handling day-to-day chores like he did at home. 

"I think having to learn to look after yourself has been the biggest adjustment for me," he said.  "I have always had my mom doing my laundry and cooking food for me, so I have had to learn how to do those things for myself."

The adjustment to competing at the collegiate level was much easier for Pienaar, as he did not change his training techniques or mentality.  He stuck with what he had always been doing to get him to this point, which was hard work. 

"I have always trained hard.  I have always been a competitive runner and enjoyed the sport, so there wasn't anything I did much different," Pienaar said. "I just always tried as hard as I can."

It hasn't taken long for Pienaar to show that the plan has worked.  The proof is in the re-sults — even if there haven't been many for the freshman to date.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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