The selection process for our Flrunners.com Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year definitely was not easy. From the list of names on our first team, Michael Phillips of Chiles was the 3A state champion and Caleb Pottorff, the 2A champion who went undefeated in Florida, but it was Bolles sophomore Charles Hicks whose complete body of work stood out the most.
"It means so much to me to be the Flrunners Athlete of the Year because it's a website that I've been extremely grateful for due to its extensive coverage of meets, amazing photos, and the easy to use ranking system."
Hicks competed in nine races this cross country season and in every single one of them he posted times under 16 minutes. Seven of those were sub 15:45 and in two of the biggest races of his high school career he ran under 15:10. He says it was important to remain consistent throughout the season and peak when it mattered the most.
"This season, I knew all I had to do was work to the best of my ability and trust the planning of my coaches. I just pushed my self as hard as I could each race knowing that they had a plan for my season."
At the state meet, the Bolles number one runner, was ONE SECOND away from a state title, finishing behind FSU signee Pottorff, in 15:09.13, the second fastest time regardless of class, and one of the best ever on the Apalachee Regional Park course. More importantly, his runner-up finish was crucial to the Bulldogs overall runner-up finish in the team standings. Bolles defeated Satellite by just two points.
"I was thrilled to have contributed to my team's fantastic finish at the state meet. It's very important for a runner to have a purpose to their running to help them push beyond exhaustion and mine is my team."
With the defeat in the back of his mind, Hicks focused his attention on Foot Locker South and landing one of those ten coveted spots and a plane ticket to Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego. Not only did he qualify with a 9th place finish, he tallied a PR and state leading time of 15:07.91 to become the 4th Florida sophomore ever and first in nearly 20 years to advance. He says this season was all about running his race and letting the chips fall as they may.
"This year there were no significant obstacles for me other than keeping my mind on my own race and trying not to worry about other runners. At the end of FL south I was completely drained and my head was pounding, but I was so excited. I didn't know if I could qualify for nationals but I went regardless trusting my body and my training and in the end I was just thankful that my extra training had been worth it."
He ended the season with a 36th place finish against the nation's best athletes, but says he couldn't be happier with how 2016 went.
"This season has been a dream come true for me, watching our team take second at state and qualifying for nationals are definite high points this year. Next XC season my only goal is to lead my team to a state championship, whatever else happens is a bonus."
Hicks took a short break for the holiday season, but was back to work on Monday. With the cross country season in the rearview mirror, the track is calling his name. With a 6th place showing in the 1,600m and 4th place finish in the 3,200m at state last year, he has lofty goals for the spring.
"This track season I hope to break nine minutes in the two mile."
