The progress that Evan Jager has made over four years into becoming America's greatest steeplechaser has put him on the brink of a breakthrough in 2016. 

 

That's the mindset that Jager carries into the season. He owns the seven fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase performances in U.S. history. He came within a final straightaway stumble of puncturing the 8-minute barrier last July and has finished in the top six three times in global championships. 

 

"I definitely feel like I'm close," said Jager, who will headline a loaded 3,000 meters race on Saturday at the NYRR Millrose Games in New York City. "I'm right there. I just need to run a perfect race in order to (medal). It's achievable."

 

Jager, 26, has matured into one of the most reliable performers in U.S. distance running.  After finding immediate success in 2012 after switching to the steeplechase and making his first Olympic team a couple of months later, the years since have seen Jager bank experience and grow his understanding of the event.

 

"Last year early in the summer I had a couple of really good races," Jager said. "A 1,500 (PR) in Portland and a steeple in Paris (AR 8:00.45), and I thought I was right there. I thought I could taste it. Worlds knocked me back on my butt and made me realize that running fast in the steeple is nothing like finishing in the top three in a global championships."

 

Jager approached the 2016 calendar year by taking a big leap forward in his personal life, too. He proposed to girlfriend Sofia Hellberg-Jonsen on Christmas day near her family home in Sweden. The wedding date is expected to come after the Rio Games.

 

Jager reported a minor calf issue in early January and took an additional 7-10 days off. But, he said, the injury "got fixed pretty quickly," and he was back to training soon after. 

 

Indoor track season has never been a big focus for Jager, who is coached by Jerry Schumacher and is part of Nike's Portland-based Bowerman Track Club. But it also holds some value, and in 2016 there is added incentive to do well.

 

"As far as the rest of the year goes, most of the group is trying to get relatively fit for indoors, but myself as well as everyone in the group, we're focused on the summer and getting into peak fitness for the (Olympic) Trials," Jager said.

 

That said, Jager still wants to get something out of it. He'd like to beat his personal best (7:39.98) in New York this weekend. And he'd like for his indoor races to give him a boost of momentum and confidence before he begins the build-up to the summer. 

 

"I'd kind of like to make a starting point for the outdoor season that is higher than it would be if I didn't do indoors," he said.

 

And there is an opportunity in March that Jager doesn't want to miss. The World Indoor Championships are coming to the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, the Illinois native's adopted home.

 

"It might be one of my only chances to run at a global championships in the states and that in itself is cool," Jager said. "Having lived the last seven and a half years in Portland would make it that much more special. To step on the starting line and hear the announcer say my name and that I'm from Portland and have that good hometown support, it would be cooler than anything."