Alexander Gunay '23 Recruiting Profile

At the beginning of high school, track wasn't my first option. I was going to sign up for high school tennis my freshmen year. Then sports got cancelled in the spring of 2020 and I had a moment to reassess. This led to me starting my track journey my sophomore year.  I had never really ran a ton of milage or running races before I started track. But I knew my background playing soccer and swimming would give me a good foundation to build off of. At the beginning I did track to help my swimming but now track has become a passion for me. Every time I race I strive to go faster. I enjoy the rush I get after beating people and running super fast. It's like nothing I've ever felt in other sports. I feel like I'm able to hit that additional gear that I haven't been able to hit.

Though I've always loved track there's been ups and downs. It's not always easy. Balancing school, volleyball, swimming and track is always a challenge. But being able to manage all that at once is a huge skill that I have experience with. Recovery, sleep and focus is key. Being able to assess where you need to go and what you need to do is a key skill that I use to navigate all my activities. And I know this will be an important trait for college.  This goes hand and hand with hard work and perseverance. Being able to push through even if there's an obstacle in my way like lack of sleep, a bad race or sickness.  I never back down from a challenge and I believe that putting in 100 percent is the best way to get better.

My character overall is intense on the outside but once you get to know me, I'm a bubbly, outgoing, and a kind person. I go out of my way to be nice and including to people. My role as a member of The Middleton Track team is a contributor. I'm friendly and have conversations with just about everyone on the team. I try to keep the mood fun and focused. We talk about team inside jokes, funny race moments, our pace and our successes. Being a supportive teammate helps everyone feel motivated and energetic during practice which translates to better workouts and races. My ultimate goal as a teammate is to push everyone to be their best and be the best teammate I can be.