Willie Coleman '19 Recruiting Profile

NCSA personal statement 

    My name is Willie Coleman III from Murrieta, California and I run for my high school team and consider myself an excellent track and field athlete.Just to tell you a little bit about myself, I am a 16 year old Junior at Vista Murrieta high school and I am a 400/800/1600 meter runner on my high school team. I started running track in 2010 with the San Diego Cheetahs running the same events I run in high school. In youth track for the Cheetahs I was a 3 time track athlete of the year (2011, 2012 & 2015). In 2011 at age 9, I ran in my first AAU Junior Olympics in New Orleans and won a Silver medal in the 800m running 2:26.36. I went on to medal in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 AAU Junior Olympics, California State Games and AAU & USATF regional meets in the 800/1500 for the remainder of my time in youth track and field. 

My first two years in high school I went to Steele Canyon high school in Spring Valley, California where I ran varsity cross country and track and field as a freshman and a sophomore. I was a CIF qualifier as a freshman and sophomore and the Grossmont league silver medalist as a freshman (800m) and the Grossmont league champion as a sophomore in the 800m. In August of 2017 my family moved 80 miles north to Murrieta, California where I enrolled at Vista Murrieta high school. I completed a successful 2017 cross country season where I PR'd in the 5K running 16:07.6. I also completed a 2018 track season as the Southern Section 800m league champion and I made it to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 finals and I PR'd running a 1:54.60. I would add leadership, love of the sport and work ethic second to none to your program.

    As a student, I currently have a 3.0 GPA. I am currently involved in Black Student Union (BSU) and Young Gentleman's Leadership Club (YGLC) two  African American groups at my high school. I am also a member of Boys to Men which is an African American boys group sponsored by Alpha Pi Boule which is the country's oldest fraternity for college-educated and professional African-Americans. Its goal is to pursue intellectual development, citizenship, law, and culture. 

 What makes me different from other recruits is my leadership skills, work ethic and experience. I have always felt that leaders have to take the initiative to push themselves and the people around them to become better. I have always done both and I think that is what make me valuable to your team.