Jake Johnson '23 Recruiting Profile

I never viewed myself as a distance runner. I played soccer growing up and I was always known for my speed rather than endurance. A shoulder injury kept me from running in the fall of my freshman year and I competed in sprinting events during track season later that year. I competed in the 4x100, 400, and 200. I only signed up for cross country the following summer because I thought it would help with my 400 time. I fell in love with every aspect of distance running, especially the people. I found myself surrounded with the most hard working and tight knit group of people I had ever met and I knew from then on that I would be a distance runner for the upcoming season. I progressed from a 19:55 (5k) to 17:57 in my first year ever running cross country, but I knew I could go so much further. I decided to run a half marathon with some friends just for fun and ended up surprising myself with a time of 1:35. That track season I opened with a 2:10(800) and ended the year with a 2:06. I decided to start training with a private coach the following summer knowing how important junior year was going to be for me. I was voted team captain for the 2021 cross season by my teammates and coaches. In the first meet of my junior season, I would open with 16:54(5k), beating my previous personal record by over a minute. That was a huge confidence boost knowing I had only just started sharpening down into race shape. A few weeks later, I would break it again at 16:48. I didn't have quite the season I was hoping for, knowing that I have the potential to be so much faster, but I learned a lot. I am an extremely versatile athlete having raced everything from the 100 to the half marathon and I do not back down from any opportunity to compete and learn. I am a leader and I take every aspect running very seriously.