- 2021 Spotlight
Personal Statement
I started running when I was 14 right before my freshman year of high school. I originally started running to be involved at my school, but ended up falling in love with the sport. It wasn't until my freshman year track season that I really got noticed by my coach and considered running in college. I went 4:58 that season after 3 consecutive races of getting 5:00 flat. Breaking 5 for the first time was monumental to me not just because of getting that far as a freshman but because of the struggle it took me to get there. I put in 400 miles the next summer and ended up going from about middle of the team to varsity in one year and broke 17. Sophmore year was when it really hit me that I can have a future in running. It made me want to work as hard as I can for that goal, race, and PR. That track season I was striving toward breaking 10 in the 3200 but was stopped in my tracks when covid hit. It wasn't a totally bad season though. In the little time that we had I competed in the Atlanta relays in the 4x8, got 10:18 in the 2 mile(which I have since broke that in my 5k) and at my very last race went 4:50, ran an 8 second PR from my freshman year. Getting these times boosted my confidence for the next XC season where I finally broke that 16 minute barrier and gave me real aspirations to be a D1 college athlete.
For me it's not about the times but how I get to them. I take training seriously, always putting in the miles, putting in the effort during workouts and especially taking care of myself after runs like stretching, icing, all of the extra stuff that other runners may not do which will put me ahead of the competition. It's the little things that matter especially in this sport of running and I wouldn't have achieved all that I did in the past three years without putting all of my effort into this. I have a determination to succeed and the hard work I have put in over the years will help me do just that. When I set a goal, just like with breaking 5, I don't give up until I accomplish it and I will keep that mentality through the rest of high school and college. I have progressed tremendously from the runner I was 3 years ago, and I will continue to progress and get faster throughout the rest of my highschool and college career.
