Ben Walczak '15 Recruiting Profile

Every runner will claim they have an intense passion for running including me. This does little to differentiate me from other runners however. I have been running since 6th grade, and I have seen many qualities from runners. The qualities that I possess that separate me from other runners are mental strength, perseverance, and leadership.

More and more as my junior year of cross-country progresses I see I am one of the few upper classmen that have had consistent times that have improved season after season. I am starting to realize my attitude of never giving up has helped me conquer goals in races despite heavy training I might of had over the week. After every race I look at what I may have done well and how I can improve. This enables me to strategically push myself whenever I need to.

Like all runners, I have had a few setbacks in my career being sick and injured. I fully recovered from these things, however I have not let these things set me back mentally. If anything these have pushed me more and more to become a stronger athlete. This perseverance I have attained has enabled me to become stronger mentally and physically, allowing me to push on despite any setbacks I may have had.

I never thought of myself as much of a leader until Junior year of Cross-Country. Going into this season I had two goals. One goal was to qualify for state as an individual, however the number one goal I strived for was to qualify the team for state. Knowing this I knew I had to encourage my teammates. For example, the teammate I changed the most dropped nearly a half minute in his 3 mile PR after one race. I encouraged him by giving him all of my tips and pushing him to break 16 in a 3 mile tempo. The confidence I gave him allowed him to run at an entirely new level.

Running obviously will always be my passion even after college, however mental strength, perseverance, and leadership separate me from the average runner. How do you think I can influence your team?