The start of the 2012 track season has been one to remember so far for senior distance runner Rico Loy.

On Jan. 28, Loy captured the 3,000-meter run title at the Bill Bergan Invitational in a personal-best time of 8:07.69. During the race, Loy was spiked in the calf by another runner that left an injury that would stay with him during the next week of training in preparation for the New Balance Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Loy said he was not even sure if he would be able to race, but in the end, he decided it would be best to go to New York and try racing.

“Coach told me to just go and see how I felt,” Loy said. “It was a good thing that I raced actually.”

Loy competed in the Championship Division of the mile run and ran a personal best of 4:02.55. He used a late kick at the end of the race to finish third.

“I didn’t expect to run that fast, I guess,” Loy said. “I didn’t know what to expect going into the race, but the goal was just to go with the front guys. I knew it was going to be faster. We had a pacemaker [in that race], so I thought I would just hang in there and see what I can do.”

ISU coach Corey Ihmels said he is excited about Loy’s performance and the progress he has made so far in the season.

Ihmels said he also felt it was imperative for Loy to make the trip to New York.

“Sometimes the best thing to do is to get back in the race,” Ihmels said. “Sometimes things can work themselves out like that. It was good for him to get in a competitive effort and the thing that really impressed me was that he didn’t do much all week. He didn’t work out much and sometimes you can feel out of sync, and for him to get in there and run as well as he did is a good sign.”

Loy also said how this race was a great effort for him going forward and preparing for the Big 12 Championships.

“I have a lot more confidence, especially now,” Loy said. “Our conference is really good, the Oklahoma guys ran really good this weekend again. Our conference is really tough to compete in and I think that this was a good step for me.”