Conor Fagan '17 Recruiting Profile

Have you ever been so motivated to be the best you can be at something? Have you put in all your time and thoughts into this matter? Have you dreamed and visualized about this goal every day and night? Put in so much work,  that you feel like you will accomplish great things in the future. You'd probably assume that I am talking about my running career, and I wouldn't blame you if you did, but I'm actually not.I'm talking about my former basketball career. My introduction into running is not a normal one, even though it should've been. Let me explain. My uncles, Ron and Jim Fagan were all-state runners and attended  Eastern Illinois University to run Track and Cross-Country, where they still hold records today. So it would seem that I would become a runner growing up, but I didn't. I really fell in love with basketball and probably would've been on this site for my basketball if I didn't discover my new passion a few years ago. My brother joined the track team at his grade school, with my uncles writing training for him. I had begun to be burned out in my basketball career, and took interest in running. My uncles tested me on a 200 meter workout with my brother,  and realized I was hitting 30-31 seconds for about 4 of them in 8th grade with no training whatsoever. They told me to look into track while in the basketball offseason, but I didn't really look into it until my Freshman year. I came off a really rough basketball season and was looking to do something in the spring season not dealing with basketball, so I took up track. I loved it so much, I never went back to basketball. I motivated myself to a new sport and enjoyed it so much that I picked up Cross-Country in my Sophomore year as well. As you can see, I am fairly new to the sport, but I have done a lot in that time. I was the top Freshman in  the 800m run in my conference, while having only one race under my belt and roughly 3 weeks of training. I won the conference for the mile, and placed 2nd in the 800 last year. I have placed top 20 in my conference for Cross-Country, and had a few top finishes. I am just getting started and hoping for a great season this year! I think I'm different from your other applicants because I had an interesting journey to get to where I am, and I am more motivated than ever to be the best runner I can be. I think I'll fit right in with your program because of my work ethic and desire to win. The one thing you can always expect of me is my best effort, even if it is a struggling day for me. Running is a passion that I want to compete in on the College level , and I think with your help that I'll be a great fit on your roster. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story,  and I wish all of you the best success in the future! Hope to hear from you soon!