May 20, 2024 | By: Lakeland News
Pierz Alum Matthias Algarin Places 4th in Decathlon at B1G Championships
Four years ago, Pierz football and track & field standout Matthias Algarin committed to continue his athletic career at Nebraska. Recently, he would finish fourth at the Big Ten Championships in the decathlon, helping the Cornhuskers to their second Big Ten title in a row in track & field.
The former Pioneer was the 2019 Class A triple jumps state champion who then won a football title the next fall, scoring the game winning touchdown.
Last week, we talked with Algarin about what it took to compete in the decathlon and the success he’s had while at Nebraska.
“Trying to train for 10 events, and you still only have the same amount of time in the week, so the training is really hard,” explained Algarin. “I mean, when you have to train for the 100 and you have to train for the 1500, or when you have to … train to jump as high as you can be, but you also have to train to throw a 16-pound shot as far as you can. There’s so much that goes into it and I’m definitely thankful that – with the athleticism that I was blessed with and I just did what I could to invest in that as much as I can.”
He also reflected on the support he’s had along the way. “First 18 years of someone’s life, I think that really does set the foundation. And I would say, first off, just to, you know, my parents, how they raised me and I definitely appreciate my time and peers and all the people there that coached me and supported me and just, you know, enjoy [what we] have together through sports, especially.”
On Friday, Algarin graduated with a degree in business management from Nebraska. He plans to move to Atlanta, where he will be a regional sales manager for Pit Boss.