By Nick Mallard, Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg)
FITCHBURG, Mass. -- Physically primed and mentally focused, it was shaping up to be an outstanding final meet for Bridgewater State’s Josh Higgins.
The Fitchburg High grad had settled into his hotel room in North Carolina for a night of rest prior to the Indoor Division 3 Track and Field National Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C. At the JDL Fast Track, preparing for one final weekend as a Bears runner.
Everything was in place for a memorable closing chapter in Higgins’ collegiate career.
That is until it wasn’t.
There was a phone call from his coach, Connor Foley. And then a text asking Higgins and teammate Matt Lighten to head to Foley’s hotel room.
“I thought maybe he was just going to give us our bib numbers. I tried convincing myself of that,” Higgins said. “Deep inside, I knew it was bad news. And we knew what it was going to be.”
Rumors of the meet and season being wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic had swirled, but Higgins hoped that too much planning had gone into the event for the plug to be pulled at the 11th hour.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” Higgins said of his coach confirming his fear. “I was definitely choking back tears. I had to sit down and kind of let it sink in before I could check my phone, which I knew would be blowing up.
“I grieved a little bit. Just like other seniors, I was looking forward to wrapping things up the way I had envisioned them, but it’s out of our control. We got dealt a crappy hand, but you still have to play that hand. You have to move on after a while.”
Higgins’ heartbreak, like that of many high school and college seniors this spring, was well-founded. Already a decorated athlete at Bridgewater State, Higgins says he was in the best place he could be, both physically and mentally, heading into the meet.
“I thought there was a good chance I’d be an All-American. The groundwork was laid down for me to do well at Nationals,” the computer science major said. “I was in the best shape of my life. I was confident I’d get past the prelims and get to the finals. If you do that, there’s the potential to be a national champion.
“When you get to that point and it’s the top 20 guys in the country, you’re all in relatively the same shape. It all comes down to who runs the smartest and doesn’t let the pressure get to them. The pressure had gotten to me in the past, but I was ready this year. You don’t think; you just run.”
In three attempts to qualify for the national finals in the past, Higgins had fallen in the preliminary round.
Higgins had run four cross country seasons with the Bears, landing on the All-MASCAC team his junior and senior seasons, as well as earning a MASCAC Sportsmanship team nod in 2018. But in indoor and outdoor track, Higgins excelled, both individually and as part of an elite relay team.
“I’d done a lot of damage in the conference over the last three and a half years,” Higgins said when pressed about his accomplishments.
He owns the school indoor record for the 800 (1:53.00 in 2018) and teamed with John Lara, Michael Kotleski and Lamont Haynes to claim the 4×400 relay mark both indoors (3:18.76) and outdoors (3:16.99) in 2018.
MASCAC rookie of the week? Twice. Conference track athlete of the week? Eleven times indoors and three times outdoors.
Higgins was All-MASCAC in the 4×400 relay six times between the two track seasons, winning the conference title in the 2019 indoor season, as well as twice winning the MASCAC indoor title in the 600 and once in the mile.
Outdoors, he fared equally well, winning three 4×400 MASCAC relay titles and claiming first in the 800 at league championship meets three times as well. Add to that several Division 3 All-New England and Alliance accolades and it’s quite the list of accomplishments.
Having had a breakout season his junior year at Fitchburg High, Higgins knew he’d be able to run in college, but still had to put in work to get to the level he’s reached.
“In high school, I didn’t run on weekends. I wasn’t as dedicated as I could have been,” Higgin said. “I was relying on talent. When I got to college, I increased my training mileage and really put in the work I needed to in order to get to that next level.”
For the time being, he’s working on online classwork – with his graduation bumped until at least summer, due to scheduling – and temporarily decreasing his running. Motivation to run has been hard to come by.
“When you don’t know when your next race will be, it makes it harder (to train),” Higgins said. “You have to keep going though, even if you dial it down a little.”
Higgins will have the option to file for an additional year of eligibility to run next spring, but he’s not yet certain it’s something he will pursue. He could begin work on a master’s degree or retake some courses to boost his GPA, but it’s a decision he won’t make immediately.
He’s also considered joining an elite running club to stay in shape and chase the ultimate dream of putting in a time fast enough to earn an Olympic qualifying berth.
“That’s the biggest goal. Even to get close would be incredible,” Higgins said. “I haven’t even reached my prime, so there’s that desire to keep going.”