Nate O'Brien '23 Recruiting Profile

Before I attended junior high I was more of a recluse who denied every opportunity I had to go outside and make friends. When I got to junior high I joined our cross country team because at that time I had an ultimatum: cross country or football, and as a  5' 2" 90 lb boy there was no way I was shaped for football. So cross country was the only real choice and that choice has shaped the last 5 years of my life. I met dozens of new people: friends, coaches, even role models. It is because of that impact that I'd love to continue this journey into the collegiate level. 

Before my junior year I had personal records of 18:36 in the 5k, 5:03 in the 1600 and 2:13 in the 800. Between my sophomore and junior year I had changed my mindset and put in a great year of training. I was able to drop my 5k down to a 17:36, my 1600 to a 4:44, and 800 to a 2:01. These personal records were achieved via an off-season training group of 3 people, occasionally 4, with a training plan made by me. It is my belief that with a proper training plan, and a great group of runners that share my passion for running, I'll be able to drop these personal records by even bigger margins. 

I have a very competitive spirit where I've been able to pull through multiple small wins. 1 win during xc and multiple wins during the 3200 and 1600 in track season. This allowed me to score points for my team and keep us competitive. All of this points to my hard work and dedication to winning, not just as an individual but more importantly as a team. I'd rather see success in a 4x8 then the open 800 because then I have 3 other teammates to share the joy with; rather than just myself.