Zai Yang '23 Recruiting Profile

Hello!

My name is Zai Yang, and I am currently a Junior at Watchung Hills Regional Hills High School. 

I started running during my sophomore year of high school(2020-2021) because a couple of my friends who were on the cross country team convinced me to join. I started out as the last spot on the varsity team, but by the end of the cross country season I improved to the fastest runner on the team. Because I enjoyed cross country so much, I decided to run track too.

Growing up in a big family and having a background in swimming(8 years) and basketball(6 years) definitely influenced who I am today. Having a big family taught me to be independent while swimming and basketball taught me how to set goals. The biggest values that running cross country and track taught me are self-motivation, determination/grit, and humbleness. I am also very coachable and always appreciate it when coaches or teammates give me advice; more often than not, I tend to share the advice I found helpful with others :)

I think what sets me off from other recruits personality-wise is my self-motivation. From a young age, I understood that for any sport, at the end of the day no one can help me improve but myself.  I can be given every training plan in the world, but if I don't get up and practice, I will not get better. I am the type of athlete that is the first to come to practice and the last to leave. 

As a person, I am very friendly. Although I may seem shy at first, I love cracking jokes, laughing with my friends, and hanging out with people. Hence, I am looking for a college with a close-knit program of cross country and track student athletes that support each other.

Running competitively for a college is something I work toward everyday, but I also understand that I am first and foremost a student-athlete.  I am dedicated to my studies and make sure that I earn the highest grades and test scores possible. 

I also have an XC/TF Instagram that I post about my journey at @zaiyangxctf