NCAA Titles Are Only the Beginning of Cameron Burrell's 2017 Goals

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editor

Cameron Burrell does not show the pressure he shoulders at the University of Houston.

The senior sprinter and jumper arrived on campus three years ago with big shoes to fill, namely those of his Olympic gold medal winning father and head coach, Leroy Burrell. The younger Burrell has largely stepped out of his father's shadow, but he still has work to do in his final season for the Cougars as he told Peter Scamardo of the Daily Cougar.

First and foremost on Burrell's mind is winning NCAA titles, not just for him, but for Houston. A year ago, he finished second in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA Indoor Championships and fourth in the 100-meter dash outdoors. Not only does Burrell hope to turn those places into firsts, but add two long jump titles and a 4x100 relay title as well.

However, there is more to Burrell's goals than individual NCAA titles. Competing for an NCAA team championship drives him to be a leader on the team, making sure he is doing everything he can to lead by example.

"We’ve been building this program ever since we stepped on this campus. Now the results are beginning to show," he said.

Burrell's leadership this season will extend beyond the NCAA season. The University of Houston has been selected to provide the team representing Team USA at the 29th University Games, also known as the Universiade, held in August 2017 in Taipei, Taiwan. In past years, team members were selected from around the country. This is the first year one university will provide the entirety of Team USA at the biennial event.