This season marks the second time Taylor has qualified for the meet in as many chances. The West Regional Championships will be held at the University of Texas in Austin Thursday through Saturday. The top qualifiers out of the region will advance to the NCAA Championships held June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Live stats from the NCAA West Regionals will be available at:

http://www.texassports.com/livestats/c-track/

At the GWC Championships, Taylor, decked out with bright-red running cleats, set records with the fastest times in the conference's history in the 100 with a 10.27 seconds and in the 200 with a time of 20.84 seconds. The 10.27 mark also set a CSUB record as the fastest ever and Taylor is now second in the record books in the 200. Taylor's time of 10.27 has him seeded No. 14 entering the regional meet out of 48 runners in the event. In the 200, Taylor is seeded No. 20 out of 48 with his 20.84.

Taylor also qualified for the NCAA West Regional meet in the 100 and 200 in his freshman season with CSUB in 2011, where he advanced to the second round in the 200 and settled for a 19^th-place finish. 

Before he traveled to Texas to compete in the West Regionals, the CSUB Athletic Communications department sat down with Taylor for a question-and-answer session.

Q: How would you describe this season and what you've been able to accomplish?

A: It has been an up and down season, I am not going to lie. There is always soreness and injuries that you have to battle and my hamstrings were sore a lot throughout the season. When I hit my best time of 10.52 in the 100, it took all season to hit that. I was in the 10.6 range for a while. It takes a lot to get it right, you have to get a good start, a good drive, a strong transition and then a good finish and I hadn't been able to put it all together in one meet. Another thing was the weather. We had a lot of meets where it was drizzling or cold. We couldn't even run at the Northridge meet because it was raining so hard. Then at the Great West meet, the weather was ideal. I was relaxed and I got a good warm-up and I didn't think about it too much. It all just naturally came.

Q: What was the feeling like when you won the 100 and 200 titles at the Great West Conference meet and won the meet's Outstanding Performance Award?

A: It was unbelievable. Going in, I had the fastest times and I knew I was going to win the 100 and the 200, but we (he and the CSUB track and field coaching staff) knew the focus had to be on getting a faster time. We thought that if I wanted to win the Outstanding Performance of the Meet award, I would have to win both events and break at least one record. Then when the time came, I was able to focus and execute. When I crossed the line for the first win in the 100, I heard everyone yelling and screaming and I looked up at the board and had to squint because it was so far away, but then I saw and I couldn't believe it. I started jumping up and down and going crazy. For the second win in the 200, it was kind of windy and I wasn't sure how the times were going to stand, but once I saw the board, I knew I got it.

Q: In all your photos at the GWC Meet, you are wearing bright red running cleats. What's the story behind the red shoes?

A: In the past, we had a deal with Nike, so I liked the Nike Zoom Ja's and the 3 series. Then we switched to Adidas this year. I was looking for a shoe in the style I like with a flat bottom with the arch support that fits my feet. There were only two that I liked and the one that seemed the best just happened to be red. I am flat footed and I like these because they are light and make you feel like you are running with bare feet. So I started running with them and doing well and I like the way they feel. I think I will keep using Adidas.

Q: Do you like running the 100 or the 200 more and why?

A: I can't say that I like either better. Last year I was really close to breaking the school record in the 200 so I thought of myself as more of a 200 runner not because I liked it, but because I was more successful in it. I am still a new runner (Taylor was a football player who converted to track and field his senior year of high school) so I still feel like I am learning. Then this year I got the record in the 100 and I am still trying to break the record in the 200.

Q: How do you get ready and prepare before you compete in each event?

A: I listen to music on the way to the meet and on the warm-up lap. I like hip-hop and rap, anything that will get me really pumped up. Then I put the iPod away so after my warm-up lap, I stretch, then drills, then some stride outs. I just like to get really loose and be sweating and ready.

Q: How do you feel about going back to Texas (as the GWC meet was in Humble, Texas) to compete again for the West Regionals?

A: That is where I ran my best meet of the year and it will be great to go back and see if I can do even better. It is going to be hot, but things went well last time I was in Texas.

Q: Having ran at regionals last year as a freshman, how is it different heading into this year's regional meet and how are you feeling about it?

A: It is a huge advantage for me. I have that experience now and I got the jitters out. I can just get in the block and not think 'oh that guy next to me is faster than me.' I can just focus on what I need to do and relax and just run my race.

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