Lucey, Aponte All Smiles After Bronco Classic Wins Liam Conville Oct 19, 2014

On an early morning in mid-October, Middleburg, Florida provided the perfect conditions for the Bronco Classic/St. John’s River Conference. With no wind, no humidity, clouds overhead, a relatively cool 50 degree temperature, and a completely flat course, the stage was set for blazing times. As the plethora of various colored jerseys crowded the line, each coach barked at their athletes to get out quick in order to avoid the tight bottleneck after 200 meters. Once race instructions were given, a quick gun signaled the start of the varsity race, and a battle to gain position before the bottleneck, two-person wide first half mile. 

Johnson, DeGale Seal The Deal At Spikes & Spurs Classic Liam Conville Sep 08, 2014

A slight breeze swept across the Flagler County Fairgrounds on a beautiful Saturday morning in September. The weather conditions of around 70 degrees and overcast set the perfect atmosphere for what turned out to be an extremely competitive race on a blazing course. Nearly 367 boys and 331 girls spread across 20 teams turned out for their first official meet of the season. 

XC Spotlight: Nick Diaz - Miami Sunset Liam Conville Sep 04, 2014

Miami Sunset’s Nick Diaz is a returning senior coming off a monstrous junior year. He was the 4A Cross Country Finals champion and posted a personal best of 15:07.93. Diaz was 9th at the Nike Cross Nationals Southeast regional and advanced to Nike Nationals in Portland, Oregon where he was 79th. On the track, the Sunset standout went 4:16.11 to finish as the 4A runner-up in the 1,600 meters. Overcoming the setback of an injury during his track season, he looks to defend his cross country title, as well as lead his team to the podium. Diaz can be described as humble, dedicated, talented, and loving of his family, friends, and team. In order to get to know the relatively quiet Nick Diaz, we asked him in a few questions in our XC Spotlight.

David Kilgore: From Buffalo to Gator and Everything in Between Liam Conville Sep 04, 2014

David Kilgore. Does that name ring a bell? Some people may remember him from his days as a state champion in the 1600 meters and 5000 meters as a talented distance runner for Holy Trinity. Others may recall his impressive 14:27 5K and 24:18 8K at Colorado where he was a reserve runner on the 2013 PAC 12 National Champion Buffalo cross country team. Kilgore identified this as his best running memory stating, “Just being on the national winning team was pretty exciting.” Despite all this success at Colorado, something was missing, and Kilgore will be representing the University of Florida this fall. 

The Cross Country Experience and Coaches Who Inspire Liam Conville Aug 24, 2014

I will never forget the nerves in the pit of my stomach as I removed my sweats and was overcome by the brisk, frigid wind which pierced my jersey as I stood on the line in Tallahassee. The dead silence which cut through the air, despite more than 300 people standing in a crowded row of boxes preparing for the race of their lives. As the gun is raised, not a single breath in pure anticipation of what is to come. Two months of racing in preparation for this moment and now it is time. Bang! And the adrenaline rush replaces the previous anxiety, as the body moves on autopilot, following the stampede of a plethora of other athletes. The rest is a jumbled, blurred collage of brief recollections before the race is over. Just like that. Quickly, briefly, and utterly exhilarating.