This year’s Bakersfield College track and field team has gotten a big boost from freshman Chris Schwartz even though it took Schwartz a while to get going after not competing for over two years.

After high school in 2009, he attended Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, but it didn’t work out as he expected.

“First off, they didn’t give me a scholarship and I was paying for most of it,” said Schwartz. “Also, my grades weren’t that good. I think it was the course system.  It was too fast for me, so I had to come back.

“At Cal Poly, I was trying to adjust and do everything at once all by myself, but once I got here I changed that. I know I can do some things on my own, but I know now that I can’t do everything on my own.”

Schwartz went to Foothill High School here in Bakersfield where he posted a lot of impressive times during his time there. He posted a 4:13 for the mile, 8:45 for the 3,000, 3:57 for the 1,500 and 8:51 for the 3,200. He also was the cross-country state champion and the number one runner in the state in his final year at Foothill. He also made the top eight in the Foot Locker National State Championship.

“After I left [Cal Poly,] I took two years off. I didn’t want to do anything but just work,” he said. “It wasn’t until this year that I decided to come back to school.

“The first few races were tough because I had only trained for about a month, but as I started training with coach Frickel I’ve started to get back in shape. He’s pushed me, giving me a lot of tips along the way, like riding my bike a lot more often. I think it has helped me get back in shape a lot quicker.“I’ve always liked running. It’s fun, but I’ve enjoyed this year more because of everyone on the team,” he said.

BC track and field coach David Frickel commented on how Schwartz has progressed.

“He’s doing really well, which is incredible because he’s only been practicing for a short while,” said Frickel. “He does everything well, and he’s a good leader in the way he handles himself. I like that he’s a competitor out there, and if you tell him to get a certain time he goes out there and does it. We’re still trying to get him comfortable with competing and school.”

He added that he thinks that Schwartz taking those two years off helped him out.

“It helped him get more mature physically. I also think the two years off made him hungrier,” he said. “I saw him throughout his high school career. I knew what he brought to the table and what he’s capable of.”

Schwartz posted his best time in the 1,500 in the last meet with a time of 3:57. He has also had some close races with Chris Lowe from College of the Canyons, who was last year’s state champion.

“It’s a goal of mine to beat him,” said Schwartz. “My main goal though is to win state in the 5,000 and 10,000.”