Mateo Nunez '17 Recruiting Profile

To whom it may concern,

I began running cross country and track my freshman year, initially doing it for recreation and for a versatile high school career. To me, what separates me from other runners and athletes is my drive to better myself every day as a person and as a student-athlete. Freshman year, when I began running, I was the worst on the team and struggled with injuries due to my lack of experience in the sport of cross country. Come track, with a little experience under my belt, I was able to break 5 in the mile as a freshman, and able to make varsity for Track and Field. Putting my failed cross country season behind me, and focusing on becoming better. I did the two sports again over the summer, and had a very successful cross country season, and an even more successful track season. I broke two 26 year old sophomore records and qualified for 3a state in the 3200m, which previously I'd only run 3 times in competition. I desire to compete at the highest level in college, and continue to consistently improve my times in my events. My team, coaches, and family are the biggest reasons I've began to improve, and I focus very much on the team aspect of the sport as well. They've allowed me to become comfortable and confident with taking a leadership role as one of the captains on both teams as a sophomore. Speed doesn't necessarily parallel to being a leader to me, and I find myself drawing my leadership skills from my parents and teammates as well as coaches.