BOULDER — Growing up in Tracktown USA, Erin Clark fell in love with track and field at an early age. She ran in all-comers meets at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, the spiritual home of the sport in the U.S., when she was little. She would win two Oregon high school titles on the track made famous by Steve Prefontaine.
But when it was time to select a college, she didn't want to be too close to home. She chose CU in Boulder, the other pole of the twin capitals of American running.
She's going home this week, though, to run the steeplechase at the NCAA championships as a redshirt freshman.