Liam Kurzawa '25 Recruiting Profile

I have been extremely fortunate to grow up with a family that has given me crucial advice while implementing the significant role of independence in life. One critical component that caused me to start running is my dad. He is an avid distance runner who introduced me to the sport. I am incredibly grateful that he introduced me to the fantastic sport of running. In addition, when I was in sixth grade, the whole grade was required to participate in a spring and fall mile time trial. I got very excited about the time trial because of my competitive nature and because my homeroom teacher was the middle school cross country coach.

Leading up to the time trial, my homeroom teacher, Coach Carrier, was trying to get us all excited for the time trial. I started doing a little running outside of school to prepare for the mile. I ran a 6:33 in the time trial, which I was extremely happy with for my first mile. Coach Carrier convinced me to participate in a 5k race later that fall, and I ran a 21:53, which won my age group. Coach Carrier and I were intrigued that I could run these times with little to no training causing me to sign up for cross country the following year. Those two races have entirely changed my life for the better.

Along with the unique approach to running, I have some unique attributes. One key attribute of my personality is that I am a hard worker and have lots of courage. My parents are extremely hard workers, and I have definitely taken after them. In the summer of 2021, I woke up at six in the morning for the entire summer to go running with the upperclassmen. On the first day, I was extremely nervous to show up because I was the only freshman who came to those early morning practices. However, I knew that the only way to have a successful cross country season was to show up every morning. This shows my courage and determination to get as fast as possible. Looking back, I am thrilled that I have taken those risks to go outside of my comfort zone because all those times, I have benefitted. Academically, I want to succeed in my heavy load of honors classes in my sophomore year, and I want to be involved in many extracurricular clubs. These attributes allow me to stand out amongst other recruits in athletics and academics. I think I can fit in on teams because of my outgoing personality and commitment to the sport of running.