Devin Sparrow '11 Recruiting Profile

I am a 6' 150lbs. male sprinter and will graduate from Barringer High School in Newark, New Jersey in the 2011 class. I started running at the age of 8 for my school and then a club team named the DC Redwings, out of the Washington DC area. I started out running sprints the 100m, 200m, and 400m, eventually I continued to move up in distance to the 800m, 1600m, 3000m, and cross country. I really enjoyed running sprints but my coaches saw me doing better at distance races. I continued to improve and work hard. Our club team, the DC Redwings from the Washington DC, area traveled every year to the AAU Junior Olympics, USA Junior Olympics and the Blunt East Coast Invitational. One of my proudest moments was at the USA Cross Country Championships at the age of 10. This is when our team won 1st place and I finished in 12th place overall to become an All American in the 2002 USATF National Cross Country Championships. Since then, I have moved back to sprints now in high school where I attend Barringer H.S. in Newark, New Jersey. This past season I have competed in the indoor Meet of the Champions for 2010 and the SEC League Championship 2010. During the Meet of the Champions, I ran a 51.64 in the 400m placing 2nd and a 6.78 in the 55m placing 5th in prelims. While in the SEC League Championship, I ran 11.25 in the 100m placing 1st and 49.72 in the 400m also placing 1st. I feel my experience has helped me out through the years of running. I work very hard to improve from year to year. I'm always encouraging and cheering on my teammates. It has been my dream to run on the collegiate level and maybe for the USA Team in national competion. I'm really not sure about the location of a school at this time, but where I'll accelerate and have the best chance to grow as a student and man. I'm really looking to run for a Division I program. I feel with my experience and the years that I have applied myself, I'll be able to adapt quickly. But I'm always open to explore different types of schools. I'm really not trying to burden my family down with paying for my education. I have done some research and realize how much it cost. I really don't think my family can afford to pay for my education. I will be applying for federal aid/grants. I'm not sure at this moment about the field of study I will pursue, but I'm leaning towards the field of technology. My athletic goals are to contribute to the team in any way that I can. Always improving myself to make an impact, that shows others the hard work I'm putting in to become better. My father always reminds me that there are no shortcuts, work hard, be nice, and get smart.