By Nick Craddock

UK sprinter Rondel Sorrillo leads a dual life.

One month ago, Sorrillo was in Berlin, competing against some of the fastest men in the world in the 200-meter dash at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships, while representing his home country, Trinidad and Tobago. Today, Sorrillo, a senior, sits in math class learning the finer points of calculus, awaiting the start of the NCAA track and field season.

Though the jersey Sorrillo wears may change, the goals he sets for himself don’t, as he constantly balances his allegiances to his college and country.

“You want to put out your best, regardless,” Sorrillo said. “When you run in an international meet you want to be top eight. When you run here you have to defend your school pride, which is more pressure.”

UK sprints and hurdles coach Erin Tucker said the increased pressure for Sorrillo is often the result of his success at the international level, which causes his collegiate opponents to view him as a favorite— but Sorrillo would never admit such a thing.

“Rondel is so humble and he appreciates all his competitors,” Tucker said.

Tucker added that some track stars, who compete with the highest-level of competition in the world at major international events, struggle to focus on the college season when they face lesser opponents, but Sorrillo is unfazed.

After a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Outdoor Championships held in June, Sorrillo’s attention shifted to international competition. He was especially busy this summer with his national team, collecting frequent flyer miles and experience at the international level along the way, as he served notice to his future NCAA competition after his performances on the track.

Sorrillo, an Olympian in 2008, began this summer by claiming the 200-meter title at the Trinidad and Tobago National Open Track and Field Championships.

Tucker said he sent Sorrillo an e-mail after the victory, joking that he “finally” won a major international championship, a victory that didn’t sink in immediately, Sorrillo said.

“Only after a month or two (of) reflecting on it did I think it was a good experience,” Sorrillo said.

Sorrillo followed up his victory with a second-place finish in the 200-meter, along with a gold medal as part of Trinidad and Tobago’s 4×100-meter relay team, at the Central American and Caribbean Games in July, before claiming 13th place at the World Championships in August.

Sorrillo’s international triumphs have brought him “some” fame and recognition in his homeland. Originally, Sorrillo played soccer, but quit after seeing all his speed go to waste while his coach continually sat him on the bench. Not long after his soccer career, Sorrillo was drawn to track and field, despite its lack of popularity in the area of Trinidad and Tobago he lived.

“The event chose me,” Sorrillo said on why he decided to compete in the 200. “I realized that people were running the first 100 (meters) and jogging the next 100, but I could jog the first 100 and run the last 100.”

Now, Sorrillo has aspirations to become the first Trinidad and Tobago native to win an Olympic gold medal since Hasley Crawford accomplished the feat in the 100-meter dash at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

But before Sorrillo has his chance at Olympic glory, he also wants to try to pry the 200-meter NCAA Championship away from Florida State’s Charles Clark.

Sorrillo will not consistently don the same jersey, but his coaches will emphasize the need for consistency on the track this spring.

“(Sorrillo) is hungry to get back to work,” Tucker said. “He needs to know what he has got left in the tank for finals, so he can continue to execute.”