If there’s been a change between college Edward Cheserek and professional Edward Cheserek, it’s hard to tell the difference.

As we recently chatted, Cheserek sipped on coffee in the same calm, nonchalant demeanor that guided him to 17 NCAA titles during his career at the University of Oregon.

Now donning a light blue Skechers singlet rather than the iconic green-and-yellow of Oregon, Cheserek appears to be making a smooth adjustment to the pro ranks. He bounced back from an admittedly poor first pro race at the 5th Avenue Mile before claiming consecutive wins at the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in San Jose and Kalakaua Merrie Mile in Hawaii.

“Fifth Ave was terrible because I was out of shape and coming back from injuries,” Cheserek told CITIUS MAG after his Silicon Valley win. “Now the doors are open for me to train harder.”

In many ways, life for Cheserek hasn’t changed much. He is still based in Eugene, where he’s still taking two classes at Oregon to “avoid getting bored.” His college coach Andy Powell is still guiding his training.

However, without the constraints of the college system, Cheserek now has the freedom to hop in runs with a variety of parties.

“Sometimes I do a long run with a couple pro guys and sometimes go on easy runs with college kids,” Cheserek said. “However, I work out solo. It’s sometimes tough running alone, but sometimes it’s easier to hit my own pace.”

Solo workouts won’t be a tremendous departure from his college experience, when he would often run workouts by himself since he was doing longer workouts than the rest of the team while mixing in with his teammates on shorter, faster workouts.

The freedoms of professional training have also allowed Cheserek to explore attitude training. He’s already scouted out Mammoth Lakes and plans on checking out Flagstaff as potential altitude bases for training prior to the indoor season while maintaining Eugene as his sea level home base.

As Cheserek preps for indoors and then gets ready for “big things with the big boys” outdoors on the pro circuit, one big question lingers over his head – if and when he’s able to obtain U.S. citizenship.

“Racing at the U.S. championships is the dream,” said Cheserek. “For now, I’m still training and seeing when it’s going to open up. My dreams are still there and of course I still want to run for the United States. If the doors open for me, it would be great.”

Cheserek has applied for citizenship but is unclear where in the process his application lies.

“At this point, we’re still in process. I don’t know how close or how far I am,” Cheserek said. “I’m still waiting and waiting for them to decide.”

And while he waits, look for Cheserek to take plenty of scalps on the track, starting this indoor season at the Camel City Elite Invitational on February 3.