Spotlight: Aldrich Bailey chases professionals, Olympic spot and history

The fact that he'll be facing professional athletes in the 2012 Olympic Trials at TrackTown USA would seem intimidating enough.

But recent Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas) graduate and 400-meter phenom Aldrich Bailey appears more concerned with less pressing items heading into Friday's first-round trials race at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.

"It's the new time zone that gets me," Bailey said by phone while driving to Eugene.

Said Bailey's Dallas Gold club coach Mike Hart: "The weather is supposed to be rainy and in the 60s. We're not used to that."

Beyond those barriers is history too. 

The last high school male to make the U.S. Olympic team was in 1976, when Dwayne Evans (South Mountain-Phoenix) advanced in the 200 and Johnny "Lam" Jones (Lampasas, Texas) qualified in the 100 and 400 relay.

That's 36 years ago.

But the great thing about track and field is that the only numbers that matter are the ones registered on the clock. And Bailey isn't far off from his ultimate goal: breaking 45 seconds. He's at 45.19. According to dyestat.com, only four runners broke 45 seconds at the 2008 Trials. Bailey's current best time would have placed him fifth that year, but he's ranked 13th heading into Friday. 

"If I break 45, I'm almost positive I'll make the finals," Bailey said. "And anything can happen in the finals. It comes down to just one race."

The lean and versatile 6-foot-2, 170-pound standout ran his record time at a Texas 5A regional in Lubbock on April 28. He's hovered in the 45-second range most of the season, including a 45.37 effort Sunday in the USA Junior Nationals at Indiana University.

That qualified him for the U.S. Junior Team that will compete in the World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain on July 10-15. With that spot secured, he can run fast and loose in Eugene.

"Either way he comes out a winner and he'll represent his country," Hart said.

Actually, he's been running relaxed and free all season, without much of a push other than Sunday when defending Junior World champion Arman Hall (St. Thomas Aquinas-Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) gave him quite a tussle. Still Bailey won 45.37 to 45.77.

"He was there and a real good competitor," Bailey said of Hall. "But really I haven't been pushed all year. This will definitely be a big push and I can't wait."

With faster runners in the field, it should be more of a pull. If he's anywhere near 45, he should reach Saturday's semifinals and a repeat performance should get him into Sunday's finals.

The top nine marks from Saturday's semifinals reach the finals and the top four there make the Olympic team. The top qualifier is LaShawn Merritt, whose time is exactly one second faster that Bailey at 44.19.

"It's really just all about running at this point," Bailey said. "We're all trained and we all have similar times. I don't think I'll be star-struck. Racing against older guys won't scare me. I definitely hope to go out and surprise a few folks."

He's certainly surprised many who watched him as an awkward but naturally effective 800 runner. Hart said he was mechanically flawed and got Bailey to run more upright. It helped in every phase and progression.

When he started as a 400 runner as a sophomore, his times were in the 49s.

"It didn't take him long to improve by about 3 seconds," Hart said. "That's what kind of talent he has."

The Texas A&M signee is now among the nation's best in the 100, 200 and 400. His 100 (10.21) and 200 (20.49) were wind-aided but ranked tied for fourth and second, respectively, under any conditions (for prep runners) in the nation this year.

"He could run the 100 through 800 at a national level," Hart said. "I don't think there's another runner in the state who could make that claim."

That, of course, was at the prep level. He's been the top dog, big cheese, man among boys at virtually every competition that he's participated at this season.

Quite suddenly, he'll be racing stride for stride with nothing but grown men. Hart believes Bailey has the makeup, physically and mentally, to deal with it.

"He's a good, balanced combination of what you need to succeed," Hart said. "He's not real loud, he likes to laugh but he knows when to get serious. He's not overly confident, he stays humble when need be and he's handled all the publicity that has come his way very well."

Said Bailey: "I don't think the pressure is on me at all. If I get pulled and break 45 I'll be very, very happy. Everything else is pretty much gravy."

E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@MaxPreps.com or follow him on Twitter @MitchMashMax.