What was your most memorable meet or race?
While consecutive All-State performances in the 4x800 certainly rank near the top, my most memorable race would have to be the 2012 District XC meet, where Clayton took 5 of the top 6 places to score just 19 points. It was the first time that I ever went sub-17 minutes, and coupling that achievement with the success of my teammates really made everything worthwhile.
Who was your biggest competition?
My teammates were definitely my biggest competition, specifically Matt Millett and Derrick Stone. Derrick was the runner who got Clayton back on the map, and my freshman and sophomore seasons were focused on trying to match his caliber.
Out of all your high school accomplishments, which stands out the most?
Setting the school record in the 4x800 was an amazing experience. We broke the record by a narrow margin at Sectionals that year, and then came back to drop it by another 7 seconds at State.
If you could do it all over again is there anything you would change?
I would have put more effort into my training during my first two seasons, and I regret not training in the off-season for my first two years.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
Before Derrick and I's freshman year, the Clayton team was ranked as the second worst in its class. The most difficult obstacle was having to bring back a passion for running that the team had lost. When students started caring about how the team did, the program progressed rapidly. The fastest runner's time on my freshman team wouldn't have earned a varsity spot on this years squad.
What will you miss the most?
XC/Track practices were always the highlights of my day, and my teammates were always incredibly supportive and tons of fun.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
Don't over-think your races, you can only run your race, so you shouldn't care about how your competition does. I always worried too much about how I would do and what I would place, and all that just causes unnecessary frustration. Have fun!
What are your college plans?
I will be attending Brigham Young University in Provo, UT. I plan to major in Neuroscience and follow the pre-med track.
Who would you like to thank?
All of my coaches (Tim Levine, Kurtis Werner, Mike Nelke, Marion Freeman, and Pat Sullivan) played huge roles in my development as a runner and as a person. The Clayton program is still growing, and these coaches worked hard to rebuild it. Also a big "thank you" to all my teammates, rivals, family, and friends. It was a great 4 years!
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <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> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p> </p>