A summer filled with Olympic triumph from former Ashland athletes has shone a light on the already prestigious athletic programs at the university. Trevor Bassitt, a graduate from Ashland with eligibility on the Men’s Track and Field team, may be the next athlete in line to win a gold medal.

Bassitt was not a heavily recruited athlete heading into his freshman year of college. He had no Division I offers, and came to Ashland for a private education with a chance to run track and field.

Throughout the course of his last four years, Bassitt’s mental mindset and physical preparation led him to be in the position to qualify for the U.S. Men’s 400-meter hurdles Olympic team.

“Be the first one in and the last one out,” Bassitt said. “Once you get to the college level you really have to have a work ethic and a lifestyle to go with it to find that success.”

In mid-June, Bassitt went to the 2020 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. where he competed in the 400 hurdles and qualified for the semifinals after placing 13th out of 28 men. He then went on to grab the last spot in the finals with an eighth place finish in the semifinals.

Behind the scenes, Bassitt was dealing with more than just the pressure of qualifying to become an Olympian for the United States.

“His last five to seven weeks of preparation was nothing like his February, March, April, May buildup, when he was running times that had him top five in the world,” head coach Jud Logan said. “He just really had the foot issues that bothered him late into the season.”

Following his last meet in Nashville, Tenn. Bassitt reaggravated his ankle tendonitis, leaving him with a tough uphill challenge before the trials.

Even with the adversity of an injury, Bassitt was able to fight through the mental and physical difficulties that could have kept him sidelined during the trials. Not only did he have the pressure of qualifying for the Olympic team, there was added stress from the injury that put a strain on his preparation.

“I was just so nervous about having to run through that pain, knowing people were going to be watching me and not wanting to let them down because of how I couldn’t prepare,” Bassitt said. “It definitely took a very big toll on me mentally.”

Unfortunately, Bassitt was unable to secure one of the qualifying spots for the Olympic games, but he has his sights set on winning yet another NCAA Division II Championship at Ashland.

Bassitt is not only an athlete, but a successful student with a degree in Sports Management and a minor in Finance, and is pursuing his MBA at Ashland. In his last year of eligibility, the coaching staff is preparing to keep the workload low for Bassitt so he can stay healthy and perform to his potential.

“We are going to pull back the amount of competitions and races he does throughout the year,” Logan said. “That way we can avoid those injuries from overuse and have him ready to be at his very best in June when he goes to the World Championship trials.”