What was your most memorable race?
My most memorable race was the state cross country meet my senior year. 
That was the first time that I advanced to the state meet and it was truly a surreal experience. The energy was electric and it was awesome to be able to compete on such a big stage among the state’s best.
Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
I would consider myself to be my biggest competition. Every day over the course of high school, I was faced with a choice of whether I wanted to give it my all in my training. It was difficult, especially during the school year, to motivate myself to devote multiple hours a day to training. I had to run almost all of my mileage and workouts alone, and as a result, I had to constantly battle myself to continue to run my hardest.
What was your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment was advancing to the 4A state track meet my senior year. Prior to this year, I had never advanced past districts in my high school track career.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
If I could do it all over again, I would do strength training and weight lifting from the very start of high school. The first time that I did strength training was before my senior year and I noticed a significant difference in my body’s response when I experienced the stress that comes as a result of running fast. I would also focus more on properly warming up before runs. I have found that my highest quality runs come after a proper warm up.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
The most difficult obstacle I had to overcome was juggling school and running amongst a variety of other extracurricular activities and academic obligations. As a student in the IB program, it was difficult to find time to completely invest myself in my training. There were many times where I had to run at 5 a.m. before school in order to get my run in for the day.
What will you miss the most?
I will certainly miss my teammates, especially Nick, Declan, Elliot, Chad, Semmes, Trent, and Dan, as well as my coach, Coach Cuff. The people on the cross country team have been my best friends throughout high school and I will miss them so much. Additionally, I will miss being able to make new friends through meets and camps. One of the coolest parts about high school running is the opportunity to meet so many new people from across the state and country.
What advice would you give to younger athletes?
Love what you do. If you don’t love it, you won’t have the desire to fully invest yourself and reach your full potential. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”- Colossians 3:23
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
Without my coaches, I would certainly not be the runner that I am today. They have not only developed me into the athlete that I am, but they have also helped me become the man that I am today. My coaches have invested so much time into helping me become the best I can be and I am truly thankful for that.
What are your college plans?
I will be attending and running for Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. I’m so excited to see what God has planned for the next four years of my life and I’m so thankful for the opportunity that Coach Kurtz has given me. Go Fire!
Who would you like to say thank you to?
Firstly, I would like thank God for faithfully watching over me throughout my high school career. He has not only kept me healthy, but He has also given me the desire to run. Without God’s provision, I know for a fact that I would not have had the success and opportunities that I have had. Secondly, I would like to thank Coach Cuff and Coach Brown for ensuring that our cross country and track teams have the best opportunities to succeed. I would like to thank Coach Joe Burgasser for training me over the course of high school. He is one of the best distance coaches ever. I would like to thank my parents for driving me all over the State for meets and always supporting me no matter the outcome of a race. Lastly, I want to thank my teammates for the hard work that they have put in over the years. Their hard work allowed us to qualify for cross country States as a team, which was such an awesome experience.
