LARAMIE, Wyo. (May 28, 2020) – Michael Downey is a graduating track & field athlete who majored in chemical engineering. Downey is from Cheyenne, Wyo., and has earned a total of eight academic awards from the Mountain West across his competition on the cross country and track & field teams. He is fourth on Wyoming's all-time indoor 3,000m list with a time of 8:09.13 this season, while his mile personal best of 4:05.71 is fifth all-time at Wyoming. Outdoor, his 1,500m time of 3:43.95 is third all-time for the Cowboys. Below, Downey shares his experiences from his time as a Cowboy.
 
1) What are you going to miss the most from your time at UW?
I am going to miss the day-to-day interaction and comradery with the guys. It was amazing to spend time with the different teammates throughout the last five years. I will miss the friendly banter and the joy in pushing one another to our limits.
2) What is your favorite memory as a student-athlete at UW?
My favorite memory was the 2019 indoor track trip to Seattle. This was a fun meet, but the weather was not super cooperative. It snowed about a foot on Friday forcing the meet to occur all day Friday instead of Friday and Saturday. Friday night after the meet we were the only people out in the whole city. We eventually found a restaurant to have dinner at. On the walk into the restaurant, coach Scott Dahlberg notices, "Man this is perfect snow for a snowball fight" and in seconds everyone was grabbing snow and having a snowball fight. It was effectively the students against the coaches. We were just chucking them left and right in the middle of the city having a blast. It was great to put aside different worries on how the races went, school, and other problems of the real world to just be kids and have fun for a few minutes.
 
The other response would be making cross country nationals as a team. That was a great moment of a team working together throughout the season. We just kept on the grind every day and eventually popped our heads up at the national meet and took 12^th. The consistency of the guys was unbelievable and the ability of everyone to encourage one another and work together to achieve something that hadn't been done at UW in over 30 years was amazing.
 
3) What does it mean to you to have a degree from UW?
It is a great feeling to have a college degree. The chemical engineering degree allows me to apply many of the different concepts that I loved learning about in school, and allows me to find a career where I feel that I am able to make a difference.
 
4) Is there anyone you would like to thank, either here at UW or from home, as you graduate?
I would like to thank you all of the coaches of the track and field team, Berryhill, Howe, and Lane are all supportive and take an interest in the success of everyone on the team. Coach Dahlberg and Coach Costello thank you both for the faith you have put into me as an athlete, and the team culture you have created to encourage all the athletes you worked with. Then I would like to thank Dr. Joseph Holles and Dr. Patrick Johnson for their guidance as mentors and leaders in the Chemical Engineering department.
 
5) What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future are to find an engineering job and begin my career using the degree that I have obtained.
 
6) What advice would you give to incoming student-athletes?
My advice to other student athletes would be to have fun, and cherish each moment. The next four to five years go by unbelievably quick. While some days are challenging, trust the process; not every race will be the outcome you wanted. I want you all to cherish each race as though it is your last because one day it will be. Enjoy the time you spend with your teammates, and make memories and friendships that will last a life time.