Alex Xavier '22 Recruiting Profile

          My running career started when my Dad and I ran in the Ronald McDonald House fundraiser 5k in my eighth graded year, and I loved it. I loved the feeling of competing in a race that tested me against my peers and running my heart out for the chance at glory in the form of a medal, it was amazing.  Previously I had very little interest in running, so then I decided to go out for my high school team.

          Now I had never really been outgoing, in fact at my first practice in the summer as I went into ninth grade I saw all the seniors and other athletes and wanted to leave because it was intimidating as a new kid.  Thankfully my Mom made me walk over to them and one of the captains at the time came over and welcomed me into the group.  That year I grew to love the sport as I cheered on my teammates, raced as fast as I could, and trained everyday to become better than my rivals on the team.  In my grade there are only three seniors on the men's team who have stuck with the sport through all the years and we are the epitome of the saying, "iron sharpens iron" as we pushed each other to become the best we can be.  Whenever our coach would have us do mile repeats and one of us were feeling to tired and wanted to skip the last repeat, we would always push each other saying, "We just did five repeats, what's one more?" to keep each other motivated.

          Through Cross Country I learned how putting in the work makes you better at whatever you are striving towards.  This lesson helped me significantly in my academics as well.  My current GPA of 4.54 reflects the investment of effort I spent doing homework and studying more that my than the teacher assigned in school using the values I learned from Cross Country. I have earned Distinguished Honors every single quarter of my high school career, and am in the National Honors Society and Spanish National Honor society at my school.  

           In college I want to continue my running career, to join a team with other athletes who love running and racing as much as I do and to make new rivals to compete against, to better improve myself just as I have in high school.  I will always do my best at the activities, academically or athletically, I do because Cross Country instilled into me the value of hard work and determination and the joy of the rewards that I have earned.