What was your most memorable meet or race?
My most memorable race is easily state cross country my senior year. It was the culmination of nearly four years worth of determination to do something big. I kept telling myself that I couldn't afford to go out and race poorly since it was my last chance to get all-state in cross country, something that I'd been focused on since my junior year. I managed to put myself in great position and ended up getting top ten, surprising even myself.
Out of all your high school accomplishments, which one stands out the most?
My greatest individual accomplishment would have to be getting tenth at the state cross country meet, especially considering where I started out in the sport. Going from being around the twentieth guy on the team and the third or fourth best freshman to being top ten in the state is something that I could have only dreamed of my freshman year. However, I am also immensely proud to have been able to be a part of a team that qualified to state as a team in cross country two years in a row. Having that team camaraderie and knowing that you are not only racing for yourself but for your team as a whole is really special and something that I'm glad to have had the opportunity to experience.
If you could do it all over again, is there anything you would change?
The only thing I would do different is to perhaps try to not put so much pressure on myself and simply enjoy the whole experience of racing and running. That and spend more time trying to get certain people with tremendous potential and ability to apply themselves to the sport.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
The most difficult thing for me was really just trying to overcome the barriers presented to me by my own mind. Attempting to not let one bad race occupy too much of my focus was really one of the biggest struggles I was faced with, as well as trying to make sure I didn't get too upset when I was sidelined with an injury, which fortunately for me was a pretty rare occurrence.
What will you miss the most?
There are countless small things that I will miss about my high school cross country and track career, but of those the thing that I will miss most is overwhelmingly the times I shared with my friends and teammates. Our experiences together are something that I will always look back on and remember fondly; they were some of the best of my life.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
Run. That's all you've got to do to get better. A little determination and a lot of pain can take you to extraordinary places. Also, don't get too caught up in what everyone else is doing, focus on what you're doing and just run your race, no matter who you're running next to.
What are your college plans?
I will be running cross country and track for the University of Missouri-Kansas City starting this fall. Roo up!
Who would you like to thank?
First and foremost I would like to thank my coach, Goddard, for being one of the best coaches around and for adding some humor to the seriousness of distance running. I would also like to thank all of the older athletes and alumni that I looked up to during my career and aspired to be like. I would like to thank my parents and family for being at my meets and supporting me, as well as putting up with me always running off every day and going through countless pairs of shoes. Finally, I would like to thank my teammates, who were my constant friends, training partners, and rivals throughout everything that I did.
<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>