Salute To Seniors: Christopher Westfall - University High School (Orange City)

What was your most memorable race?
 

My most memorable race was the 5 Star Conference Championships in cross country my junior year. I made it my mission that year to reach my time goal and this is the day it finally happened. This was one of those races where you were so emotionally invested in the outcome and it felt so good to finally break the barrier. I had a 34 second pr that day and ran 16:40. I still consider that day to be the best day of my life and it really put things in perspective for me as far as my future in running.

 

Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?

 

Two people immediately come to mind when this question comes up. The first one being Ken Pineiro. I wasn't much competition to him though because he was always ahead. My freshman year I went to Deland where he goes and he was only an 8th grader then. Te next year I transferred and he became a freshman there. So it was cool having a local guy to compete with. Ken's a great, hardworking kid, and it's been a pleasure to run against him. Secondly Kyler Kathman comes to mind. He  runs for Southeastern University now, but my junior year he was my toughest competitor. He taught me a lot and I'm glad I got to know my competitors a little bit outside of the sport.

What was your greatest accomplishment?

 

I've never been an 800 guy but this past track season I finally made a step in the right direction in that regard. I went from a weaker leg last season to the trusted leadoff leg this season. Our team's 4x8 ran a solid time and won our district championship. In that moment I was so proud of my teammates and with two other seniors on the relay, it gave a us a great feeling that all the hard work had paid off, and in track that's what you live for. It's cool to have individual achievements, but an even better feeling to be able to share those moments with  people you've trained with for years.

If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?

I had a lot of issues to deal with my underclassmen years and they prevented me from running track both years. If I could go back, I would have done whatever I could to run track those years. Besides that I have no regrets.

What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?

Issues at home my freshman year. I was in a bad household and it really kept me from thriving at an earlier age. That's certainly no excuse for anything, but looking back that's the only thing significant. After I got out of that situation, running and competition really gave me a great outlet and helped me move forward with my life.

What will you miss the most?

 

I'll miss my friends and family supporting me at every race mostly. In college you travel around so next year will be different for sure. Also, I'm going to miss the camaraderie between local runners. I've made a lot of great friendships with athletes in my local area with both competitors and coaches and I'm certainly going to miss that.

What advice you would give to younger athletes?

 

The biggest thing to younger athletes would be to stay focused. You may not have the natural ability of others but if you put in the work consistently you will see the results. That's the beauty of the sport is that you get out of it what you put into it. So stay focused on your goals and don't let anything distract you.

What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?

My coach took our team by the reigns in 2010 as a first year program and didn't have much to be excited about at first. She worked with the kids she had and built us up to be the solid team that we were this year. In just two years she produced six college athletes and plenty of state qualifiers. Coach Lisa Eggert has my gratitude for her dedication to our team and her athletes. I'm glad I got to run for her and I hope to make her proud as I move forward in my college career.

What are your college plans?

 

I will be attending St Leo University this fall running cross Country for them and I couldn't be more excited to join such an awesome team and with a great group of people!

Who would you like to say thank you to?

 

Certainly I have to thank my dad, without him I wouldn't have accomplished anything. A big thank you to my family for being so supportive over the years. Thank you to my coaches for putting up with me, staying patient with me, and encouraging me every day. BIG shout out to Christen Daniels who has been my biggest cheerleader/inspiration/best friend over the past few years. This girl is an absolute joy to be around and Flrunners had better watch out for her next season. Lastly, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has ever believed in me or encouraged me along the way. You are what drove me to my goals and I thank each and everyone of you.

 

Is there anything else you'd like to add? 

 

Flrunners.com has been an awesome tool to use the past few years and I'm glad you guys are around. You guys do a lot for runners as far as results, stats, and running profiles go and you make it an easier process for college coaches to check out a profile. That really helped me a lot in recruiting and I wanted to say a personal thank you to all of you at Flrunners.com for all that you do. Follow your dreams no matter what!!