They say you have only have seven seconds to make a strong first impression. Well, if that’s the case for UNI track star Brandon Carnes, he could run a 60-meter dash and still have .36 of a second to spare.

For those of you who don’t feel like doing the math, that means Carnes can run 60 meters in 6.64 seconds. He ran that a couple weeks ago at the Nebraska Invitational, where he posted personal bests in the 60- and 200-meter dashes.

Carnes’s 6.64 second 60m dash broke both the UNI and MVC record which he previously held. That time ranks him No. 9 in the country this year. He also ran an impressive 21.30-second 200m, which is the second-best time for that at UNI. Needless to say, Carnes has had great start to the season, but he is far from finished.

Carnes attended Manatee High School down in Florida where he played both football and track. He says it was in his sophomore year that he shifted his focus solely on track, because he knew that is where he would have the brightest future.

After a big sophomore season recording some stellar times, the offers started piling in for Carnes. He received offers from many schools including South Florida, North Carolina, Tulsa and even a partial scholarship offer from Alabama.

Luckily for UNI, Carnes chose to bring his talents here. He really liked his visit here and his brother Brion played football here, so overall it seemed like the right fit.

The connection seems to be working well for both sides. Carnes has been very successful here at UNI and is proudly representing the purple and gold. That comes from the help of his coaches and teammates.

“The team is very close with each other on and off the track,” said Carnes. “We push each other everyday to get better.”

Track consists of constant training and a healthy lifestyle in order to achieve success. The athletes need to make sure they stay hydrated, eat healthy, stretch, recover, lift and run.

Sprinters like Carnes spend a lot of time on block work, sprints, agility work and do any and everything possible to shave their times, because in these short races, every fraction of a second counts.

Brandon Carnes has had a hot start to the indoor track season and hopes to keep it going.

“I just need to keep getting faster” Carnes said when asked about his goals moving forward.

He also has goals of winning conference and eventually competing in the Olympic trials. You can expect great things out of this guy as he continues his journey. Carnes talked about some advice he received when he was younger that drives him to this day. “Be the best you can be.” He said this phrase is his motivation.