Ankita Puri '19 Recruiting Profile

    I have always loved to run. When I was in elementary school, I loved to run the pacer because my teacher would give me can of Coke if I beat all of the boys. Ever since then, the thought of getting to run and sprint and race other people has excited me. 

    When I was in middle school, I decided to try out the cross country team - I thought that I would enjoy it because of my running experiences in P.E.  After the very first practice, I was utterly exhausted and I remember begging my mom to let me quit and telling her that I like swim practice better.  However, with some encouragement from my parents and a sense of determination, I headed back to cross country practice the next day . It was this decision that quite literally changed the course of my life. 

    Up until that cross country season, my athletic life had been consumed by swimming, but cross country opened the door to the competitive running.  For the remainder of middle school, I participated in cross country and track and field while they were in season and continued club swimming year-round. As I discovered, swimming cardio is much different from running cardio. So with each season, I found myself gaining a greater understanding of what it meant to be a runner and how I could better my form and my stamina. 

    Once I went to high school I had to make the pivotal decision of which sport to pursue.  I decided to choose running and I ran on the varsity cross country and track teams that year.  The seasons were grueling, but I became a better athlete because of it. I learned how to train with people who were faster than me, I learned how to push through pain, I learned how to ignore the cliques and the sly comments, and I learned what it meant to compete. 

    I want to run in college so that I can continue to challenge myself. I enjoy being in a competitive atmosphere and I feel like I have lots of room for improvement. Running has always provided me with the chance to forget everything else in the world and focus on pushing myself and pushing through pain. 

    To look within myself, I know that I am a strong, supportive team player with a positive mental attitude. I enjoy running and I enjoy competing and my attitude reflects that.  My work-ethic nearly defines me- I give everything I do 110% and I always try my best.  Academics-wise,  I prioritize my studies very highly and I am always working to make sure that I am succeeding in the classroom. I would like to study computer science, economics, and international relations in college, as I aspire to work for an international organization like the UN. 

    Running is truly my passion and I would be honored if I could continue it at the next level.

- Ankita Puri