NCAA Track & Field and Cross Country Recruiting
Take me through your recruiting process - how did it start out and get to you committing to North Carolina.
My process started the summer before my junior year. UNC (Coach Ian) had reached out to me in the middle of September before my cross country season started that year. I was super excited about everything and had no idea where I wanted to go yet because it was still super early. Recruiting definitely picked up a lot around and after NXN. The winter went by and I mostly was talking to the same schools and not a ton was going on. That changed in the spring though. I took an unofficial visit to UNC and I really loved it and that's when I decided to take an official visit in the summer/fall. In the middle of spring and summer, I had to narrow down a bunch to get to my 3 visits because that’s as many as I wanted to take. Me and Coach Ian stayed in touch a ton all the way up until my visit. I definitely felt that we built an amazing connection already before even going on the visit. When I went on my visit UNC just checked all my boxes. Great team connection, school environment, coaches, and the way they coach, and one of the biggest things being their confidence in me and what we can do as a team and program.
Congratulations on committing to Stanford! What made you choose Stanford over other schools you considered?
I chose Stanford because it was my dream to go there ever since I stepped foot on campus. The girls were so welcoming and the campus felt like home. Coach Clark is a mastermind when it comes to the 800m, having coached multiple NCAA champions and Olympians. The academic aspect of it was also something that stood out to me, it’s truly my perfect place. And who doesn’t want to be living in California? I’m so excited to be apart of the team next fall!!
You had made your initial commitment to Tennessee last fall, then after the coaching change, you ultimately decided to recommit to the Volunteers. Can you take me back your initial reactions to the coaching change, how your recruiting process went, and why you decided to stay with Tennessee?
Whenever coach Duncan took the distance coaching job at Tennessee I knew the program would be in good hands. He’s a great guy with top-tier knowledge in the sport. I still wanted to explore some other schools to see if Tennessee really was the best fit for me, and I came to the conclusion that it was. Tennessee has an amazing college environment and awesome guys on the team as well. I truly believe Tennessee is going to be a top-dog distance program soon.