Thomas (Rowan) Wiley '19 Recruiting Profile

I started my running career with small community races such as the Chickamauga Battlefield Junior Marathon before competing in cross country from 5th through 8th grade for my middle school team at Arbor Montessori School, where I won the MAAC Conference Championships in 2014.

I began to train with St. Pius as an 8th grader and ran four races with the team during that cross country season.  I continued training with St. Pius during the 2015 track season and placed 3rd in the 3200, 4th in the 1600, and 4th in the 800 at the Georgia Middle School State Championships.  The following year at St. Pius, I was one spot away from making the state team as a freshman, running consistently as 8th man or higher.  Last year, I made the state team as a sophomore and placed 30th as our 6th man, helping contribute to an all-class state cross country championship.  I finished 2nd in our regional track meet in the 3200, while competing with a quad injury that contributed to my 10th place finish at sectionals.  I have been running as 1st man for the majority of our races this year and scored 3rd towards our 2017 cross country team finish as state runner-up.  This past track season, I scored for our team at the state meet in both the 800m and 1600m, contributing to our 4A state championship title with a 4:20 PR in the 1600.

My two strongest qualities as a runner are my grit and my kick. I enjoy racing and winning more than actually running, and I probably have more determination than natural talent, which serves me well as a competitor and teammate. I also have one of the fastest kicks in the state, which can be seen in this Coaches Invitational 1600m relay race video from March 2018. Because of an official error, my team lost about 100m and 13 seconds in the handoff, and I made up much of that difference at the finish, out-kicking one of the top 800m runners in the state (Harrison Fultz @ Starr’s Mill) and coming in less than three seconds behind the winning team (Milton HS) with a 4:23 split (link to Georgia Milesplit video: 13:37 to 18:10).

I enjoy trying new things and am a very hard worker, and this combination has helped me to learn and grow throughout the years. I think that my willingness to try new things and my perseverance to keep working even when something doesn't come easily will continue helping me succeed into the next stage of my life as a university student.