Name: Mike Bunker
Sports: Men’s Cross Country
Hometown: Bucksport, ME
Major: Exercise Physiology
Year: Senior
Stats: 5 Mile= 25:17; 5K= 14:54; 3,000 meter= 8:58; ’04 5,000 meter Indoor State Champion; Indoor Little East Conference (LEC) runner-up; Cross Country State meet runner-up, Cross Country LEC runner-up.
Pre-game rituals or superstitions: “I’ve always been against pre-race rituals or habits just because they can add unwanted levels of anxiety to a race. The last thing I need to worry about is whether or not I’ve rubbed my lucky rabbit’s foot. I just make sure I eat something light and go for a good two or three mile warm-up an hour or so pre-race.”
Favorite thing about USM athletics: “We are a close team, especially us distance guys. Competing three seasons a year with each other, and logging 80 miles per week, we get to know each other pretty well. Top it off with Bruce Bickford as our coach who makes us see that limits are only temporary and with hard work and dedication, things that seemed impossible to achieve will start to come within reach.”
Quote from coach Bruce Bickford: “I have said for the last two years that Michael Bunker is one of the most talented runners I have ever coached. People thought I was nuts. He has now run faster than any USM runner in cross country. Distance running is a matter of believing in yourself. He is now at a level that no USM runner has achieved. He is an athlete that every coach wishes he had more of. His work ethic is unmatched and now in control. Mike has come further than any runner I have ever coached. His best days are before him because he believes they are.”