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FINISHING STRONG: Senior sprinter Justin Kremer has overcome a quadriceps injury he suffered two years ago to have a major impact on the ASU track and field team during the 2010 season. (Photo by Michael Arellano)
The senior sprinter on the ASU track and field team, who is a quarter-mile specialist for the Sun Devils, sports a bushy head of dreadlocks that are reminiscent of Sideshow Bob from “The Simpsons.”
Kremer said there isn’t a specific reason for the eye-catching hairdo but that he’s enjoying his locks for now.
“It’s nothing special, just something new,” Kremer said. “I felt like growing it out, and I think it fits me.”
While Kremer’s teammates may give him a good ribbing about his hair, there is also another side of him that inspires and motivates them every practice.
While anchoring the 4x100-meter relay at the 2008 NCAA West Regionals as a sophomore, Kremer was 20 meters from the finish line. But with the baton in hand and the end in sight, suddenly, everything went wrong.
“I felt a pop in my left quad,” Kremer said. “I then tried to keep running and felt a series of pops in my leg. I fell down and stared at the sky.”
Kremer’s left quadriceps was completely gone, and there were initial thoughts that his running career might be in jeopardy. Doctors and trainers couldn’t figure out the diagnosis of the injury, which Kremer said was a nuisance for all involved.
“It was an off and on process, I wasn’t exactly sure what the injury was,” Kremer said. “At one point I had a discussion with the coaches and trainers about the possibility of not running anymore.”
Finally, it was revealed that he had a small tear in his left quad. The athletic Kremer, who had been involved in sports his entire life, was on the shelf.
It was two months of zero activity.
Eventually, Kremer rehabbed the leg and returned to the track for the 2009 indoor season. But his health still wasn’t 100 percent. Whenever he ran at top speed, the injury would resurface.
“The muscle still wasn’t functionally properly, and it was using the other muscles instead,” he said.
Kremer, not in full form, struggled last year as he tried to regain his endurance. But teammates and coaches saw a different runner once this past indoor season started.
Justin Kremer was back.
ASU senior sprinter Joel Phillip, who has been Kremer’s teammate for the past three seasons, said the full return of Kremer has been a welcome sight for the team,
“When he got injured, it felt like something was missing,” Phillip said.
Despite the frustrations of his the injury, Kremer never once gave up and faulted others, ASU coach Greg Kraft said.
“The thing about Justin that makes him unique is that he was never a guy that finger-pointed or blamed anyone,” Kraft said. “He loves to run, and we have to have that passion in our program.”
It may be no coincidence that the ASU men’s team has flourished since Kremer arrived from in-state Grand Canyon High School in 2006, where he holds multiple school records and won 10 individual state championships.
During his time as a Sun Devil, Kremer has been involved in All-American performances, record-setting races and was also a key instrument in the ASU men capturing the national team title at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Kremer, who was an All-American in the 2008 indoor season on the 4x400-meter relay squad that finished third at nationals, was also a part of the school-record-setting distance medley relay team that took second in the biggest meet of the year.
Kraft said one of his favorite moments as a coach was the look on Kremer’s face after ASU won the title.
“It was cool just to see him so happy,” Kraft said. “He was a big part of us winning that championship.”
With Kremer’s senior season coming to a close, it would only be fitting if he topped it off with one more national title and another All-American achievement.
As a part of ASU’s fast-paced 4x400-relay squad along with fellow seniors Ray Miller, Donald Sanford and Phillip, Kremer should have a good shot at placing in the top eight at the national meet in June.
Kremer has also made his mark in the open 400-meter dash, where he should score some points for the Sun Devils at the Pac-10 Championships next month.
For now, though, Kremer, who is majoring in intermedia with a digital art focus, is set on cherishing his final weeks as a college senior. He said he will miss hanging out with the team on road trips and going places that most college students don’t get to see.
Still, Kremer said, he wants another national title and is determined to make it happen – hair and all.
“I’m looking to give it my all and finish on a strong note,” he said. “I’m going to do all that I can and see what comes out of it.”
Reach the reporter at eric.l.smith@asu.edu
