#BeLezoLike
 
A champion on the track, a star in the classroom and a Wildcat through and through, Lezo Urreiztieta was all of that and more. Five years after his passing, Urreiztieta's spirit, grace and selflessness continues to drive Arizona Track and Field.
 
The program has adopted the hashtag #BeLezoLike as tribute to Urreiztieta and what he stood for, which is what head coach Fred Harvey expects out of every student-athlete that represents the block A.
 
"Do the best that you can at all times," Harvey said. "Don't make excuses as to why it didn't happen. Understand why it didn't happen and let's work to get better. No one is perfect, but I do have a vision of a perfect student-athlete, and they would be Lezo like!"
 
The lasting impact of the Tucson native on the University of Arizona, Arizona Athletics and Southern Arizona is truly profound.
 
One of Tucson's Own
 
Urreiztieta first entered Harvey's life while he was attending Canyon Del Oro High School in Tucson.
 
"He wasn't sure that he could compete at this level in both academics and athletics," Harvey noted. "He was a guy who trained his butt off in high school. He eventually became one of the state champions here in the state of Arizona."
 
Urreiztieta's path to the roster was less than traditional. However, there was something about him that stuck with his future track coach.
 
"He always wanted to be a Wildcat," Harvey said. "When I recruited him and did our in-home visit, there was still question whether or not he could do both. Whether or not he could compete and pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. Convincing him that he could do both was really exciting because I knew that he could."

During the fall of 2011, Urreiztieta enrolled in pre-med classes. The Tucson native had the hopes and dreams of becoming a reconstructive surgeon to help people who have been in serious accidents.
 
"Some people say he was one of the smartest guys on the team," Harvey noted. "I'm going to stick my neck out and say that he was the smartest person on the team. I separate intelligence and being smart as two different things. He was highly, highly intelligent. Being smart is figuring out how you get something accomplished. He was able to use his intelligence and be able to be worldly in being smart to figure out how to get tasks done. That was Lezo. He could compete at whatever level academically with anyone."

 
 
Desire for Greatness
 
During his time running for Arizona, Urreiztieta would hold the program's top marks in the 60-meter hurdles and 110-meter hurdles. He grew from his doubts about succeeding athletically and academically to winning races and earning spots on Pac-12 and MPSF All-Academic teams. These achievements came to fruition because of his competitive drive for greatness.
 
"Everything was important to him," Harvey observed. "Being the best at whatever it is that he was doing was always his goal. It was like a game, "I'm going to make sure that if I'm here for practice, I'm going to be here for practice, not just be a part of it." Being there early was like a game, "I'm going to beat the coach to the weight room, I'm going to beat the coach to practice." That was his personality, and he was serious about what he was doing."
 
Urreiztieta didn't just give everything he had on the track or in the classroom, but to the team as a whole.
 
"He was so selfless, and that word gets tossed around a lot," said Harvey. "But when you ask people and you watch people they're really not selfless, they're selfish. Not with Lezo. Whatever it was you needed, regardless, it was going to be done.  Whatever number of hours it took, if you needed a hand moving something or squatting, whatever it was that was needed. If you are a teammate, you are a teammate."
 
The Legacy Lives On
 
Urreiztieta passed on December 20, 2013 following complications from brain surgery. The sorrow and sadness of the community following his passing touched all of Tucson. As did Urreiztieta's loving personality, sense of humor and ability to brighten any room he stepped into.
 
The Lezo Urreiztieta Endowment Scholarship was created in his memory. His scholarship supports outstanding track and field student-athletes at the University of Arizona. Athletes are selected based on exemplary academic performance and leadership. Morgan Struble, Sage Watson, and Tatum Waggoner have been awarded the scholarship.
 
Lezo is with coach Harvey everyday on the track, whether it be a bracelet that dawns his name or a button with his photo.
 
"Having that opportunity to have him in my life, for me personally, it just reaffirmed to me what I believe to be right. Because that was Lezo. That is what right is."