Austin Willis '15 Recruiting Profile

Running has been one of the focal points of my life.  My dad and my uncle were championship runners in high school and I grew up on stories of their training rituals and competitions.  Ever since sixth grade, when track was first offered to me, I knew that it was my sport.  I was blessed with the natural talent to be a runner, I excelled on my team and running took a special place in my heart.

Throughout middle school and high school, the opportunities to learn and improve as an athlete have been somewhat limited.  Since the beginning of high school, I have had 3 different head coaches and numerous assistant coaches.  Despite this, I have held my own with the better runners of my region and state.  I believe I have exorbitant amounts of untouched potential.   It makes me the kind of athlete that will be committed to learn all I can from experienced coaches and not burn out or plateau early.  I will continue to excel at the collegiate level because I want to be the best runner I can be.

My indomitable spirit has also influenced my capabilities as a runner.  I hate to lose and when I do lose, I put every ounce of heart, sweat and blood into making sure that the next time I will win.  I love to push myself and try to encourage and help my team to improve as well.  In addition to the 400 and 800, my favorite races are relays because they combine the individual’s speed and tactical strategy with the comradery of the team.  I look forward to continuing my passion for track in college; I really can’t imagine not running.

Running has also exposed me to a variety of academic options to consider as a career path. My team always had someone that got injured and had to go through physical therapy before they could return. Hating to see teammates go through pain, and not being able to help them made me want to become a physical therapist so that in the future I could help runners and athletes. Ever since then I have taken an interest in Biology and Anatomy classes, and I know that’s where my interests lie. These interests have lead me to believe that Kinesiology is the major I’d like to study.

You do not wake up one day and have success, you have to go out and take it. I am ready to excel in academics and athletics at the collegiate level.