Jack Duininck '20 Recruiting Profile

    "Who are you doing this for? Why are you doing this? Who wants/needs you to do this?” These are the questions that have been conditioned into my lifestyle by my mother who reminds me of them before I take a test, go out to practice, or warm up before a race. These pillars have been set in my mind to live by, as they remind me to work selflessly for others even when times get challenging in my athletic and academic careers, and in life. Growing up with a single mother, she taught me to stay strong & keep my head up through adversity in life & focus on others instead of myself, which has made me into the athlete, student, and overall person that I am today.                                                                          

    While growing up I tried just about every sport with little success due to my previously small & skinny frame. Fortunately, while running my first ever timed mile at a new school in 7th grade, my soon to be middle school coach & I realized that I had a natural ability to run. I soon started to enjoy chopping off time and competing at meets with my now high school teammates. The transition into high school and training and condition five days a week bolstered my passion for the sports of Track & Cross Country, as it gave me the opportunity to learn, train, & compete at a more intense level. I have been fortunate enough to have had no major health or life issues, or injuries thus far in my high school career, and I continue to take the steps to stay away from any possible future injuries. Although it is my instinct to train & compete hard, it’s not all that I am about when it comes to running. The past three seasons in both sports have helped me learn to put a major focus on leadership & support as I personally thrive on seeing my teammates push to better themselves as individuals & as a team. This focus on my team has provided me the privilege of becoming the Cross Country Captain my Sophomore, Junior and Senior seasons, & it has been an extreme blessing to share my criticism, love, & support with my teammates as a Captain.

    As for high school academics, I have continued to maintain 3.8 GPA or better each year as I have taken mostly Honors & AP classes each year, and I strive to stay consistent with or better my 3.83 GPA each semester. In college, I plan to carry on the same practice of working hard & focusing academically as my goal is to graduate in 4 years with a major in either Biology, Exercise Science, or Kinesiology, and continue on into a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program to become a Physical Therapist (DPT). I’m so glad that the work I put into training has given me the opportunity to compete on varsity for my high school career thus far, but I know that none of it would be possible if I didn’t put in the even greater amount of work that I do to maintain high standards within my academics.