MileSplit LA FUTURE STAR: Jesuit's Leland Crawford!

JESUIT FRESHMEN LELAND CRAWFORD HAS RUN THE US #2 3200m FOR HS FRESHMEN (9:26.39)

When Jesuit freshman Leland Crawford was in elementary school, he would race Jesuit sophomore Michael Vocke-and beat him, but Crawford stopped running, and Vocke continued racing competitively.

Fast forward a few years, Crawford was playing flag football during the Fall of his 7th grade year and saw the saw his schools's cross country team running around the track.

"I said 'that looks like fun'," Crawford said. "So I decided to give it a try, and I enjoyedit. That's how I got here."

Here is the No. 2 3200m time in the nation (9:26.39). Before Saturday,  Crawford had the No. 1 time. Menlo School (California) Landon Pretre ran a 9:14.98 at last Saturday's APU Meet of Champions Distance Classic to knock Crawford off the top spot.

TOP 10 FRESHMEN BOYS 3200 METER RUNNERS IN USA


Crawford's 9:26 was run at the West Feliciana Invite, as coaches from Zachary, Jesuit, Mandeville, and West Feliciana organized the "Elite" race. The field was the fastest collection of Louisiana high school distance runners ever assembled in a regular season race.

"We had been preparing for that race in practice by pace," Crawford said, "We texted the other runners and told them we were going to pace the first mile and then it would be every man for themselves after that."

Zachary's Rhen Langley won the race with a 9:14.59. Crawford's teammate Lucas Sampedro (9:20.59) was second, and Crawford was third. Mandeville's Nathan Fontan (9:227.96), who won the LHSAA State Indoor 1600, was fourth. Jesuit's Robert Buisson (9:28.22) and Patrick Dowd (9:29.21) finished out the top sixth. It's the only time in Louisiana track and field history where the top six runners in the 3200 have all run faster than 9:30.

Two of Jesuit's better distance runners, Vock and Jack Desroches, did not run at the West Feliciana Invitational. 

While the West Feliciana race proved to be a good time--especially for the first outdoor race of the season, Crawford said the Blue Jays had the most fun at South Lake Carroll's Texas Distance Festival a couple of weeks later

However, it wasn't all work and no play for the Blue Jays in North Texas. Crawford said the Jesuit harriers enjoyed several hours of fun around the pool table in the hotel lobby. Crawford gives Vocke and Dowd  the nod for best billiard skills on the team.

"It seemed liked we played for 12 hours," Crawford said. "It was fun. It was also fun going out to eat and keeping up with the March Madness bracket we all filled out. The environment at the Texas Distance Festival was great. There were so many great runners."

Since Jesuit distance coach Cullen Doody arrived at Jesuit in the summer of 2020 he has been telling the Blue Jay distance corps that if they stick to the plan, he believed they would have the opportunity to put up some big numbers. The group has done just that.


JESUIT 4x800 BREAKS DI RECORD AT LHSAA STATE INDOOR MEET WITH 8:07

"Every day in practice he pushes us," Crawford said. "He tells us about all of these people in other states running these amazing times. He tells us that we will be able to do that if we continue to do that right things. We are thankful for him"

Doody has been impressed with Crawford as well.

"The most impressive thing about Leland is that he understands the difference between being fast as a freshman and being fast as a senior, and I think he is willing to put in the work necessary to keep progressing," Doody said. "He sees other freshmen like Keegan Smith, and he wants to be at that level. He looks up to his teammates Michael and Jack, but he also believes he can beat the standards they have set. He is also just a freshman, and is having a lot fun along the way."

With a cross country season and an indoor track season under his belt, Crawford is starting to hit his stride during the 2022 outdoor season. 

In cross country, Crawford finished in the top ten, helping Jesuit to a LHSAA Class 5A Cross Country Championship title in Natchitoches last November.


JESUIT WINS 4x800 WITH DIVISION I REOCRD (8:07) AT THE LHSAA STATE INDOOR MEET


"I was really nervous," Crawford said. "But, I still had fun. I expected to finish a little higher, but I am proud of what I did. It was a great race, and hopefully next year I will finish a little higher."

After participating in the RunningLane Cross Country Nationals, Doody asked all of his runner to write down their goals for the 800, 1600, and 3200. Crawford has already surpassed all of the goals he wrote down in December. 

"Now, I just want to see how fast I can go," Crawford said.

While he had the fastest time in the nation in the 3200 until Saturday, Crawford's days of running the eight lap race appear to be numbered, at least for the 2022 outdoor season. Doody can only put two runners in each race at the District meet during the fourth week of April.

This weekend, Crawford and Vocke will test their speed in the  800 meters at the Mobile Meet of Champions. The race is scheduled for 3:50 pm. It could be an indication of what is in store for Crawford as he heads toward his first championship season in outdoor track and field.

Crawford is this week's MileSplit LA FUTURE STAR. Is there a FUTURE STAR in Louisiana you would like to nominate to be featured? Send an email to Jerry Byrd at Milesplitlaeditor@gmail.com and tell us why your nomination should be featured.