Danny Tragarz, a junior at the University of Colorado, will compete at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships after securing ninth place in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA West First Round. Tragarz arrived in Boulder as a freshman in fall 2023 and earned his spot on the team through a two-week tryout process.
“As a freshman, I tried out with the mission of proving myself and earning a guaranteed spot on the team,” Tragarz said. Over three years, he has progressed from walk-on to one of Colorado’s top hurdlers.
Tragarz began his collegiate career with a personal best of 50.50 seconds in the open 400 meters from high school. In his first race as a Buffalo in February 2024, he ran 48.71 seconds and broke 49 seconds twice more during that indoor season before focusing on outdoor events. “I consistently worked hard to compete alongside my teammates and match their capabilities on the track,” he said.
During his first outdoor season, Tragarz set a personal best of 51.87 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles and qualified for regionals, finishing his freshman year by running on both relay teams and individual events. “As the season progressed, I slowly improved, qualifying for regionals and running on the 4×400 relay,” he said.
The following year saw further improvement: at the CU Invitational in February, he recorded a personal-best time of 47.36 seconds in the open 400 meters and later achieved another best time of 51.49 seconds outdoors at Big 12 Championships.
In early February of this year, Tragarz ran an indoor personal best of 46.69 seconds—moving him to No. 2 all-time at Colorado—and helped qualify Colorado’s distance medley relay for NCAA Indoor Championships where they earned First Team All-American honors with an eighth-place finish.
By late March outdoors, he lowered his hurdle time to 50.37 before breaking through with a mark of 49.84 while finishing runner-up at Big 12 Outdoor Championships—also No. 2 all-time for Colorado—and repeatedly posted strong performances throughout spring competition.
Reflecting on challenges faced along this journey—including doubts about continuing—Tragarz credited support systems around him: “With help of PHP and my coaches, I was able to adjust my mindset and continue to show up and grind every day.” Now preparing for nationals in Eugene three years after trying out as an unheralded freshman walk-on athlete, Tragarz said, “Now having qualified for nationals I feel quite same as I did then…nonetheless grateful for opportunity I was given.”
