Claire Kariuki '27 Recruiting Profile

Growing up, I've always known, and been told that I have a very competitive spirit. Whether it be in class or in the sport I chose at the time, I grew up striving to be one of the best. Headed into middle school, I wanted to join a sport that would continue to push that competitive spirit.

Living in my somewhat small town of Oxford, Mississippi, I was always recognized around town because of my father, Bernard Kuria, who held the 10k record at the University of Mississippi for 23 years. He was also an All American in the same event while at the University of Florida his freshman year!  Knowing that I wanted to be an amazing athlete as well, I decided to join Track and Cross Country to follow in his footsteps. Ever since I was given the opportunity to run for both of these sports, my love for running and competing has grown even much stronger. 

Training for upcoming meets has taught me about resilience, and the determination to push through when things get challenging. I'm also learning to persevere when faced with any difficulty, and to have patience when it comes to results, as success comes from hard work. I want to continue to feel the rush of adrenaline that comes with running and winning, as I compete in Varsity for both Track and Cross Country. My hope, and ultimate goal is to excel at the collegiate level and beyond.

As well as being ambitious on the track, I am academically driven in all the classes I take. I strive to maintain all A's at Oxford High school, as well as maintain my Honor Roll Status. As a freshman in High school, I am standing at a 3.9 /4 GPA, taking AP and Pre-AP classes to push myself in class. As a student-athlete, I want to be strong in sports and in academics all throughout high school and college. Not only do I want to compete in track collegiately, I want to commit to a school that will push my success driven spirit in the classroom and out on the track. I hope to be a good student-athlete and team player off and on season, and pray for the opportunity to be able to be that person to my peers and coaches!