Persistence Pays Off: Aponte Set To Soar As UNF Osprey



After a stellar recruiting class for the class of 2014 UNF has just added another star to its young and talented roster. St. Augustine’s Ryan Aponte is the latest athlete to become an Osprey, and head to Jacksonville. Aponte, was 33rd at the 2013 Cross Country Finals and boasts a 5k personal best of 15:49.49. I talked to Ryan about the decision and the recruiting process.

What was the recruiting process like for you?

I feel very lucky because it was pretty short and my choice was easy. All the coaches I talked to were very nice and cooperative. I know some kids have to wait for track season to show the colleges the times they need to see. It was a huge relief to be committed and be done with searching for a college. I can't imagine how much more stressed I would be to wait until track season. It was cool to watch how emailing coaches develops into visits and phone calls as the year progressed.