Under NCAA rules, a student-athlete can have five year of eligibility to complete four years of athletics. There are a few circumstances where student-athletes can apply and be granted a sixth year. 

Leverington was suffered four stress fractures in his time as a Bison. He did not run during the 2010 outdoor season and redshirted his 2007 cross-country season, 2008 outdoor season and 2009 indoor season. With his one year of eligibility left, he selected Marquette University based 95 percent on its academics and 5 percent on its athletics. 

“Marquette is just a great law school,” Leverington said. “They offer so much with a great program and amazing faculty.”

The Roseau, Minn. native made the change from a public university in Fargo, N.D. to Milwaukee in August. Just days after his first long run with his new team, he felt welcomed as his new teammates helped him move furniture into his apartment. 

Marquette coach Mike Nelson met with Leverington as he looked for a law school. Within a matter of weeks, he saw Leverington add to the leadership of captains Patrick Maag and Jack Senefeld. 

“(Leverington) has only been here a matter of weeks, but a lot of the guys are already looking up to him and asking questions about law school or running at North Dakota State,” Nelson told the Marquette Tribune in the fall. “He’s stepped into a different leadership role, but he’s a very positive example for our guys to follow along.”

While Leverington enjoys working out with other teammates, due to his busy schedule, he usually runs workouts by himself. There are several spans of time in which coaches go days without seeing him train.

Leverington’s daily schedule is different than that of an undergraduate student. He wakes up and goes out on a shake-out run before heading to class. Gaps of time are used to complete hundred page readings. He has night class  on Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:15 and no classes on Fridays, which allow him to travel on team trips for the weekend. 

In the middle of the day, he rushes over to Valley Fields to run 400-meter repeats or interval runs on the track. He wraps up his training with a core workout, stretching session and shower before usually arriving to class usually three minutes before it begins.  

“When people ask me ‘What’s new, Tyler?’ Nothing is ever new. It’s very much law school and track,” Leverington said. “It absolutely helps me keep a balance in my day and life. Because I have track, every day I get to get away from law school for a while and do what I absolutely love.”

During finals week in December 2012, Leverington and his roommate tracked time spent studying. Two weeks leading up to exams, he averaged 16.2 hours per day studying in the law school. The hours do not include 30 minutes used for meal breaks or 15 minute breaks to goof off. 

With just a few weeks left into his career as a student-athlete, Leverington still hopes to set a personal best in the 1,500-meter run, which is his specialty, and advance as far as possible into the NCAA Regional Championship.

Due to his finals schedule, Leverington was unable to compete at the Big East Outdoor Conference Championship, but will return to action in smaller meets before regionals.  

On Monday, May 6, Leverington exited his consitituional law exam after four hours. His first year of law school was over. While his classmates headed to the bars on campus to celebrate, Leverington headed to the locker room, changed his shoes, and went for a run. 

Chris Chavez is a journalism major at Marquette University and a contributor for Flotrack. He beat Joey Fatone of NSYNC in a half-marathon. Feel free to follow him on Twitter for more updates and stories.