What was you most memorable meet or race?
The Forest Park XC Festival my freshman year was one of my most memorable meets because it was such an eye-opening experience. I got to win the Junior Varsity race so that was a lot of fun. I remember being amazed at the thousands of people there to watch people run. It was such a crazy meet. Every year Forest Park has always been such a fun meet to go to, and it really promotes our sport!
Who was your biggest competition?
My teammates. The first three years of high school I spent playing catch up to the accomplishments of Caleb Wilfong and Jordan Cook. Then in the fall of this year when I thought I finally had the number 1 spot sealed Evan Schulte started kicking my butt in workouts and races! All my teammates have really pushed me to work harder since day 1 of freshman year.
Out of all your high school accomplishments, which stands out the most?
.I would have to say winning State as a team my Junior year in Cross would have to be the biggest accomplishment, and something I am the most proud of. Individually, getting fourth and running a school record time in the 3200 at State Track this year is the biggest individual accomplishment.
If you could do it all over again is there anything you would change?
No, I wouldn't change anything. I enjoyed every part of running over the past four years, and even the disappointing races/workouts served to build some character.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
.I had a couple State XC meets which didn't go nearly as well as I hoped. So, those were tough to come back from, but everything is a learning experience so I like to think it helped me to some capacity.
What will you miss the most?
I am going to miss the atmosphere of RBXC. It was something I looked forward to every day.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
Don't lose sight of having fun with running. I think everyone does a lot better if they remember it's just a sport and you can't always take it too seriously.
What are your college plans?
I am going to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the fall where I will run Cross Country and Track. Roo up!
Who would you like to thank?
I usually don't publicly mention my faith, but I first off have to thank God for making all of this possible. I also have to thank my parents for being the most supportive people in my life. They came to every single meet I competed in. I would like to thank all my teammates for making the past four years so much fun. Finally, I want to thank my coaches, especially Patrick Sasser and Neal Blackburn. Patrick Sasser does a outstanding job maintaining a fun environment and motivating all his athletes. Neal Blackburn is our head coach, and I couldn't ask for a better coach/mentor/role model. He sacrifices so much on a day to day basis for all his athletes, even losing some hair in the process(mostly due to Caleb Wilfong). I'm truly blessed to have been coached by him over the past four years. Also, thanks Paul and the whole MileSplit Team for all you do for our sport!
Snap-Shots: Nathan Keown
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: invert none 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana;">Want to be featured in our Salute To Seniors series? Email PEverett@milesplit.com and answer the questions above! Congratulations to the seniors on all their hard work and success.</em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p>
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