Blake Hawkins '15 Recruiting Profile

I plan to attend college and major in science with a focus in genetics. Science has been my favorite subject for as long as I remember.  I attended the North Carolina Governor's School for Natural Science, a five and a half week camp, after my junior.  The experience gave me a taste of college life and confirmed my passion for science.  I also had the opportunity to run with students from across the state during my stay.  I have truly enjoyed my opportunity to lead my cross country team.  I recruited my track coach to take on cross country after our coach left after sophomore year.  We have won the conference and made it to states the past two years.  We even won the region this year.  I have enjoyed the personal challenge of distance running.  The dedication required to beat your personal best spills into so many areas of life.  I feel the skills I have acquired will help me be disciplined in college.  I have been recognized for character on two various occasions by my teachers and I have received the Coaches Award for Cross Country by two different coaches.  I was also the Most Valuable Runner during my junior year.  Competing at the state level has been very humbling.  I attended for cross country in the fall of my junior year and again in the spring of junior year for the 3200 meter run.  While my times were competitive in my conference and region, I was slow at the state appearances.  We made it back to the state cross country meet this year and moved up four spots as a team. I am hoping the team will carry on next year and break into the top ten.  I realize we are lacking in middle school distance running and do not have club teams in our area.  I have participated in almost all of our local 5k charity races and have won several and placed in the top three numerous times.  If I were to return to the area as an adult, I would try to implement a local running club for youth similar to our soccer and baseball teams.  While I do not bring the fastest times to a team, I bring team spirit, hard work, and good character to the team. I also have a great academic record and am currently first in my graduating class. I have a competitive spirit yet encourage everyone to do their personal best. I am the person the team can depend on to lead workouts, greet other schools, lead the course walk, and coordinate the coaches presentation for the athletic banquet.  I am a well rounded student who excels in the classroom and is competitive on the course.