Asad Ahmad '22 Recruiting Profile

Running was always a passion that I had wanted to pursue but never got the opportunity to. Until now. I had developed a liking for track as an 8th grader but was unable to attend a school with any athletic programs much less a running team or club. This hindered my ability to run also because of how far it was from my house. My commute times were near 2 hours and I was unable to do much outside of school work. This loss of love for running was something that bothered me until sophomore year, when I learned of cross country and track and their respective seasons. I had competed for the JV at Westside High school but never really did great due to lack of knowledge and coaching. Once covid 19 hit, I was given much more time to focus on running and school, which allowed me to take running seriously as it was a passion of mine and a goal to become great. This passion has not stopped since June 2020. My progress as a runner is immense, as I went from running an 11:20 3200 in July, to being able to break the 10 minute barrier with a 9:59.25 less than 9 months later. Not only that but I was able to run a 4:33 in the 1600m. This time holds a lot of meaning because it is something that I never thought would be possible in only 9 months of training. Given that most of my training was done solo, I have been able to learn from all the mistakes I have made, in order to prepare myself for a successful senior year, in which I plan to continue my huge improvements. This dedication that I have is definitely something that is rare amongst athletes as they have the most valuable resource, time. Time is something I was not given until the pandemic, and allowed me to prove to myself my true abilities.