Sept. 17, 2007
GoFrogs.com recently sat down with TCU sprinter Otis McDaniel as he prepares for his junior season with the Flyin' Frogs.
A native of San Antonio, Texas, McDaniel redshirted in 2007 and will return for his junior season this winter. In 2006, McDaniel won gold in the 200 meters at the NACAC Under 23 Track & Field Championships with a meet-record time of 20.61. Earlier that year, he was named Outstanding Performer at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships after winning the 100 and setting the conference and meet record with a winning time of 20.35 in the 200 meters.
GoFrogs.com: How excited are you for this season?
Otis McDaniel: I am very excited about this upcoming year. Really, I am probably more excited then I have ever been in the past. We should have a great team this year. We have a chance at not only winning individual conference championships, but also a good chance at winning the conference team title.
GF: What has being at TCU been like so far?
OM: Being at TCU has been a great experience for me. Like most people know, I came to TCU on a football scholarship and played my first two years here at TCU. By having that diversity in sports, I have gotten to know a lot of different athletes as well as students. I am happy about my stay here at TCU and I wouldn't change it at all.
GF: How has practice been going?
OM: We are ending our second week of practice and it is going great. Coach started us off harder then expected, but that just tells me that he has great expectations for us this year and we have a lot to get done in very little time.
GF: What does it mean for you to be part of such a great program?
OM: It mean's a lot to me to be part of such a great program, especially being here with coach Anderson and his staff. I wouldn't want to be any place else.
GF: What do you know about the history of sprinting at TCU?
OM: TCU has had a long history of running fast in the relays and in the sprints. I don't think coach Anderson plans on slowing TCU down, but just adding to the great history the people had before his tenure here.
GF: What have you done to make yourself better during the off-season?
OM: I am currently in my off-season and doing what I can to make myself better. One thing that I know I am going to do a lot more of this year is taking care of my hamstrings.
GF: What are your goals for this season?
OM: I have so many goals this season. A lot of my goals that I have don't just deal with me, but with helping some of our underclassmen become more mature. I want to be able to help the team out because we do have a lot of people finishing up their eligibility this year, specially on the men's' side. So besides helping the team mature, my goals are to get at least three All-America certificates and win conference in the 200 meters. I would also like to break the conference record in the 200.
GF: Who on the team has impressed you the most and why early on?
OM: Andon Mitchell and Sean Zurko have impressed me a lot in these past two weeks of practice with their drive to become better in their events.
GF: What have you learned from head coach Darryl Anderson during your career?
OM: I have learned so much from coach in the past three years, probably more then I can actually sit here and tell you about. When your in high school you think a lot of what you are doing is right, but then you come to college and a lot of what you were doing in high school wasn't right or could've been better. That is probably the biggest thing that I have learned.
