Cooper Castellaw '19 Recruiting Profile

I've played sports my whole life but, I did not find my passion until ninth grade.  I played baseball, basketball, and football in school and on travel teams since I started elementary school.  In the summer before ninth grade, I ran a 5K race and I loved it!  I became obsessed and dropped all my other sports to pursue my true passion, running.  In my freshman year, I made varsity in Cross Country and I was 5 seconds from beating the all time freshman record in the mile.  I received the Freshman Player of the Year in Track.  In my sophomore year, I made First Team, All County Conference in Cross Country.  In Track, I beat the 2 mile record for our high school with 9:57 and went to Regionals.  

I am very disciplined in sports and academics.  I know to achieve my dream of obtaining a scholarship and running collegiately, it takes hard work, dedication, and self-motivation.  I follow professional runners on social media, watch their videos/races, and research their diets.  I follow a strict regimen of diet and exercise, along with my running schedule, all year long, even when it's not required.  In academics, I'm ranked #1 in my class, have a 4.0 GPA, and have a full schedule for my junior year with advanced honor courses.  

My parents are very supportive and hired a trainer to help me improve my times and meet my goals. 

My long term goal is to become an Anesthesiologist and I know the requirements are challenging but, I've taught myself to face hardship like I do every race.  I prepare to the best of my ability, learn from my mistakes, appreciate the highs and lows, continually set new goals, never settle or give up, and strive to get better every time.  

My coaches and trainer help me to see how I can improve and what I need to focus on.  I value feedback and constructive criticism which makes me very coachable.  I am a leader to my teammates and always maintain a positive attitude.  

Finally, I follow the golden rule to treat others as I would want to be treated.  I volunteer at the Salvation Army serving meals and at my church feeding the homeless.