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It was a great 2012-2013 in both cross country and track across the Bayou State. Many of our seniors will soon be on their way to start their college careers both athletically and academically so we wanted to salute them one more time in this special feature.</p>
What was your most memorable race?
The 2012 State Cross country meet. I came into the event having not even broken 18 minutes for 3 miles before. I was determined to get into the top 10, however, and ended up taking almost a minute and a half off of my previous best time for the distance with a 17:08 and finished 7th.
Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
J.T. Gibson from Catholic High of New Iberia was easily my biggest competition over the course of my career. Even though I was never able to beat him I always knew I was in for a good race if he was involved.
What was your greatest accomplishment?
I believe my biggest accomplishment was the amount of time I was able to shave on almost all of my events from my junior year to my senior year. I went into the year having never gone under 11 minutes on the 3200 and barely going sub 5 on the mile with a 4:59.2. By the end of the season I had brought my times down in the 2 events to 10:25 and 4:40, respectively.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
If I could do it again I would probably have taken it more seriously my 8th grade and freshman years. I started out thinking it would just be something to occupy my time between football seasons. I didn't think it would ever become as big a part of my life as it has.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
Myself. My first three years if I didn't start a race out well I would get frustrated with myself and slack off. My parents made me realize how much I was hurting myself with this mindset and I was able to beat it.
What will you miss the most?
All of the great people I was able to meet. Being from an area with a pretty small population we saw pretty much the same teams at every meet we ran. That made it easy to develop friendships with people from various schools.
What advice you would give to younger athletes?
Never give up on yourself or the sport. It be difficult at times but I promise if you stick with it it will definitely be worth it in the end
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
Coach Millet is easily the reason I’m at where I am today. If I ever had a problem with anything or needed something he would be there to help and be willing to go out of the way for me. His willingness to work with me even though I was the only distance runner we placed me in a great position to succeed.
What are your college plans?
I will be attending the University of Louisiana at Monroe where I will study Atmospheric Sciences and run Track and Cross Country.
Who would you like to say thank you to?
First of all I’d like to thank God for giving me the ability and talent to run. I’d also like to thank my family and friends for all of their support and all of the coaches that played a part turning me into the athlete I am today. Additionally I’d like to thank Mrs. Susan Tregle for putting up with me for those three years of school and cross country and for doing so much to help me with both my running and education.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
You never know what God has in store for you. If you’re going through a rough time in anything, not just running, have faith in him and stick with it. He has something better than you can even imagine planned for you. In the words of Les Miles, “Have a GREAT day.”
More Coverage:
Want to be featured in our Salute To Seniors series? Drop me a line: pat@louisianarunning.com and answer the questions above! Congratulations to the class of 2013 on all their hard work and success.