Brayden Clarke '24 Recruiting Profile

My biggest accomplishment in my high school cross country career was placing 9th at the PIAA Cross Country State Championship. Despite how massive an achievement this was for me, it wasn't the moment that most defined my character. The race that tested who I was as a person was on a day that I was so sick I almost didn't even run. If I had made the decision to not run it would have given me so many losses that I would not have been considered for First Team All Stars. I decided to run the race and at least keep pace with the middle of the pack, so I wouldn't stack up quite so many losses. However, deep down I knew when that gun went off that it was not going to be an easy race, and I was going to push well beyond what I thought I was capable of that day. My legs and lungs burned throughout the entirety of the race, but I pushed through. In the face of this adversity, I still managed to finish second overall. Although it wasn't a win, I was so incredibly proud that I had pushed through both pain and my own mental limitations. So, yes I did get 9th in the state for Cross Country, but I also proved that I was capable of so much more than even I believed that day.