Lila Peters '19 Recruiting Profile

I am a 16-year-old junior at Sanderson High School in Raleigh, N.C., and to me, running is like breathing. I love running and racing at school, in the mountains, on trails, in competitions and just for fun.

I began running the summer before ninth grade to simply stay in shape. My freshman year I attended a different, smaller high school with little emphasis on sports. I took dance, as I have since I was three, and ran on my own rather than for school, as the running program at the school was not very challenging or competitive. Running quickly became my outlet, empowering and essential to me; again it became like breathing.

I won my first race (which I went into thinking was a fun run) on February 6, 2016, at the 5-mile Krispy Kreme charity run in Raleigh. Out of more than 2,000 women, I placed first with a time of 33:32.681. When I transferred to Sanderson as a sophomore, I was quickly placed on top of the varsity cross country team, and was named Rookie of the Year with the fastest PR on our girl’s team. The drive to stay on top motivated me more and more each day, as it still does, and took me to the N.C. High School Athletic Association Cross Country State Championship. My current 5k PR is 18:22, which I clocked at the 2017 Cap 7 Conference, winning 1st place. This (2017) cross country season I was named MVP for my team during my schools fall athletic banquet. 

Last spring, my coach, Marc Medford, placed me in the 2-mile/3200 meter for track. Despite never running it before, I won all my races including regionals. I also qualified for the NCHSAA Track and Field Stars Championship, placing 8th overall. My current PR is 11:21.97. Since beginning competitive running last fall, I have continually improved my times in both track and cross country. This cross country season I have won or finished in the top 10 in every race but one.

I make sure I arrive to practice early to get in a little extra warming up before it officially begins. Listening to my coach is exceedingly important to me, as he guides me and helps me do what's best for my training, health and body. I am very self-motivated, disciplined, and work hard to keep a good attitude and foster team spirit. When training, and of course racing, I am strong-minded in pushing myself to break the mental barriers between me and success.

Throughout it all I find it is crucial to remind myself why I do this. I love to run! Running puts me in a state of euphoria, and although I work hard, I value playing hard and having a good time. I hope to find a vibrant, large, D1 or D2 school in the southern region, that welcomes a diverse student body. I have always wanted to pursue a career in education, most likely special education or dance education. A school offering a major or minor in those fields would be ideal. Please feel free to browse my NCSA and MileSplit pages (http://nc.milesplit.com/athletes/6316657#.Wdp6OfopChA), and thank you for your time!