Garret Westlake wanted to continue his running career, but academics came first. With options of Wake Forest, University of Missouri, and Auburn, the P.K. Yonge senior opted to head to the other end of the country and attend the University of Wyoming. He says the recruiting process was easy, but also scary at times.
"It's hard to think about where I will be for the next four to five years. It took a lot of time for me to decide if I wanted to go that far away, but I am happy with my decision, and very excited for the future."
The leading factor for choosing the Cowboys was the school's Geology program. Westlake says the Laramie school is one of the best in the country for that specific major and what place to study geology than in the beautiful landscape of Wyoming. I
"The campus and the places they had to train were also factors. The college itself sits at a little over 7000 feet with plenty of trails and dirt roads to run on. I go to a 1A high school, and the small town feel of Wyoming made me feel right at home. I've also always dreamed of going out west and being right near the mountains. The coaches were also a factor in my decision. They are all very knowledgable, and talented, and I am confident that they will train me to the best runner I can possibly be."
"The campus and the places they had to train were also factors. The college itself sits at a little over 7000 feet with plenty of trails and dirt roads to run on. I go to a 1A high school, and the small town feel of Wyoming made me feel right at home. I've also always dreamed of going out west and being right near the mountains. The coaches were also a factor in my decision. They are all very knowledgable, and talented, and I am confident that they will train me to the best runner I can possibly be."
Westlake admits the weather and climate will definitely be different that what he is used to in Gainesville. However, he is looking forward to the new challenges that college has in store.
"I'm looking forward to having one of the best places in the country to train, and have some cooler weather to run in. My first goal is to survive my first year without freezing to death. Other than that I want to be the best University of Wyoming runner ever. It's a long term goal, but I don't want to go there and just average. I want to be the best."