My most memorable meet was a meet where it rained a lot and maybe 8 people slipped at the very beginning of the race. It was so fun.
Where did you face your biggest competition?
I faced my biggest competition at Scottsboro meets where some of the best runners in the state would run the same course I was running.
Out of all of your high school accomplishments, which stands out the most and why?
My accomplishment of beating my personal 5k record as a senior- when I got the record as a freshman- stands out the most to me because I was not sure if I would ever run a faster 5k after physically growing so much and having to learn how to run with longer legs. It took intentional work and training on my part, but after a long PR drought, I finally did it.
If you could do it all over again, what would you change about your running career in high school?
I would've intentionally invested in my teammates earlier. I wasn't the fastest guy, but my senior year I wanted to have an attitude that motivated the fastest guys and the slowest guys. I would've gone back and had that attitude even as a 7th grader.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome during your HS Track career?
The most difficult obstacle I had to overcome was adjusting to my height as I grew before and in each season. I started out very small having to take lots of steps and had to adjust to being tall and taking longer steps, which was much harder than I expected that would be.
What will you miss the most?
I'll miss my teammates, especially the ones to whom my only connection was cross country practice.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
Work hard so you gain respect; then use that respect to motivate your teammates. Even though you can't run for your teammates, a positive attitude is contagious and has led to lots of success for my team and myself.
What are your post-high school or college plans? Who would you like to say thank you to?
I plan to study engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. I'd like to say thank you to my parents for motivating me to do cross country as a 7th grader. I'd also like to thank my teammates for making cross country really enjoyable, even on the days where running was the last thing I wanted to do.