New renovated stadium fosters community connection ! GAME CHANGER !!

Good morning, and Happy Holidays. My name is Hatim Jean-Louis, also known as Coach H, and I’m here on behalf of Boston Public Schools Cross Country to highlight the transformative impact of investing in modernized track and field facilities.

First and foremost, improving safety and access is at the heart of this initiative. Upgraded facilities are more than just an aesthetic improvement—they directly prevent injuries and allow student-athletes to train and compete at a higher level. These enhancements ensure that every student, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to safely pursue excellence in athletics.

But the impact goes beyond the physical improvements. The renovated stadium fosters community connection, creating a sense of belonging and pride among student-athletes and their families. White Stadium and the Playstead area have become a home for me over the past decade, and I’ve seen firsthand how these spaces bring people together. They’re not just fields or tracks—they’re arenas where dreams are built, resilience is forged, and memories are created.

I want to take a moment to thank Mayor Michelle Wu and her incredible staff for their dedication to making these projects a reality. Their vision and commitment to the youth of Boston are truly inspiring. I also want to express my gratitude to the individuals who will be maintaining this facility and ensuring its daily operations run smoothly. Your hard work behind the scenes is what allows these spaces to thrive, and I look forward to building a positive and collaborative relationship with you. Together, we can ensure that White Stadium remains a vibrant and welcoming hub for generations to come.

This past fall, the BPS Cross Country program—made up of students from Charlestown, Boston Latin Academy, Dearborn, Snowden, John D. O’Bryant, and Boston Arts Academy—made history. Under the leadership of BPS alumni Coach Nasir Rivera and Coach Michael Ward, the team began the season unranked and achieved remarkable success: the girls’ team finished 3rd, and the boys’ team finished 6th at the state meet. These achievements are proof of what’s possible when we invest in our students and their environments.

To the student-athletes and their families, let’s continue building on this momentum. My motto has always been: Dreams Are Tangible Goals. Together, we can ensure that these dreams become a reality. Thank you.

Let me know if you'd like further refinements!

We Are Live !! @CoachHLive New Day New Opportunities

Long Time Coming !! Decided to Believe in myself.

Just Joined Instagram: CoachHLive

Just Joined Twitter: CoachHlive

I am in the cocoon stage this is new it’s fresh but I am excited about the new platform. I will be conducting Interviews, Previews and Meet Recaps at CoachH.Live

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn Borquia Legend ! First Gold Medalist In Puerto Rico History

In the Rio Olympic game in 2016 Monica Puig won US Territory Puerto Rico it’s first Olympic Medal. History was made in the last 48 Hours, when South Carolina’s own Jasmine Camacho-Quinn became a Boriqua legend, bring the beautiful country it’s first Olympic Medal in Track and field, winning the 100 Meter Hurdles in the 2020 Olympic Games being held in Tokyo currently.

Once again I apologize because I am ignorantly in some aspect that I don’t really pay attention to other Athletes globally, however this is peculiar situation, I can relate to Camacho in wanting to represent for your parents roots. The Two Time NCAA Champion could have competed at the US Trials. According to Wikipedia Her parents are James Quinn and María Milagros Camacho. Both competed in athletics at Baptist College now Charleston Southern University in South Carolina, United States of America. Her father competed in hurdles and her mother as a sprint runner and long jumper. Camacho-Quinn's mother, María Milagros Camacho, is from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico which made her eligible to represent Puerto Rico.[ (NFL) player Robert Quinn is her brother.

Besides a family with a background in athletics the story here I believe that the more kids who have roots internationally should we really considered honoring their ancestors legacy.

Brianna Duncan @UsainBree Former Cambridge Rindge & Latin Star/Oregon Duck

Special salute to our audience, supporting BSR. Thank you to everyone who is support BSR by heading to the #PopUpStore: https://shop.marathonsports.com/colle... Today BSR had an opportunity to sit down with Cambridge Great.. Brianna Duncan current Oregon Duck, on her quest to break 11 Secs.

Questions to my Former self w/ Tyler Morris (Weston) Div 3 All American (Colby) @colby_tf_xc

I started the Questions to my former self series for the importance of the future generation and the audience to learn about Self reflection. For the last four years I watched this young man, worked diligently to improve his running mechanics. You can't teach relentless, you can't purchase courage. A student of the sport he would do what all us track junkies do and ask the "RIGHT" questions to learn more about the nuances in the racing. Besides training hard, "My main man" Tyler Morris a member of the Weston High School XC & Track & Field Class of 2019. Tyler has now taken his talents to Colby College and as freshmen was a Div 3 All-American in XC

Info: 

First & Last name: Tyler Morris

Social Media 

Instagram: tyler_morris7

Twitter: NA

Facebook: Tyler Morris

Age 19 

HS Graduated & year graduated 

Weston High School, 2019

College: Colby College

Events: Distance

Cross Country

1 Mile

2 Mile

3K Pending

5K Pending

10K Pending

PR’s

High School:

1 Mile: 4:30

2 Mile: 9:38

College:

XC 8K: 24:55

DATG: When did you start running?

Tyler Morris: I started running in sixth grade because our soccer coach forced us to get in shape. I was the slowest one on the team by far but by the end of the season I ended up becoming the fastest one on the roster. Spring of 7th grade is when I met and started working with Weston High coaches John Monz and Kathleen Vinciullo.

DATG: What was the race or the moment in your career you realized that you could be pretty good at the sport of running?

Tyler Morris:The moment I realized there was some true potential was at the Wayland XC Invite in 8th grade. It was my first club and highly competitive cross country race ever. My father and I laugh to this day because when we arrived at the meet he said to me "I can't wait for you to get beat". He was so excited that I was participating in such a highly competitive field. He and my mom were even more excited after I went on to win the race and set a course record. Following that my young self realized that I really had a bright future in running and continued training with Monz and Vinciullo.

DATG: Is there a pre-race meal ?

Tyler Morris: A go to Cereal ? Always love this question because I am your stereotypical distance runner. Pasta with a little protein the night before each meet and morning of a bagel and a banana.

DATG: Weston XC/TF is part of the Dual County League, arguably one of the toughest leagues here in Ma$$, How was it to be trained and coached under legendary Coach Monz?

Tyler Morris: Coach Monz is truly an incredible coach and an even better person. I consider myself so lucky to be able to call him my coach and mentor. I would not be where I am today without Monz and all our other coaches at Weston. As you said Monz truly is a legend he has been at Weston for over 40 years and has molded both Weston and MA track into what it is today. I am so lucky to have been a part of such a great team there are so many people on that team that I miss and it was truly the highlight of my high school experience.

DATG: What was considering the Low during your running career in HS and how did you bounce back from adversity ?

Tyler Morris: The low in my running career was facing an injury going into junior year. I know now it was muscle compensation and lack of glute activation but it took far to long to combat this. At one point going into my Junior year I thought I may never run again, but I kept fighting. There were plenty of inconsistent races, which were incredibly frustrating for myself and Monz but he was always there for me. I will forever be thankful to my mom for finding me the right physical therapy team that brought me back from this major setback. I want to say a major thank you to Nicole Downin, Doctor Andrew Fiola, and Katie Adams for keeping me healthy and helping me bounce back from the lowest point in my running career.

DATG: Wow times flies, I can't believe you are in college, how is that going? How is the dorm life?

Tyler Morris: I absolutely love Colby I have some truly incredible friends and classes have been great. Major shoutout to my Colby family (Katherine Brown, Robbie Graham, Nick Peterson, and Lila Saligman) thank you for making my adjustment to Colby so special. Additionally, the cross country/track team is so close here and I again I feel so lucky to be a part of such a great group of people. My coach Jared Beers is a pure genius when it comes to muscle activation and writing training plans for each individual runner. The entire Colby team loves him and we are all so thankful.

DATG: You have an amazing story i really wanted to share it thanks for participating. When we first met it was three summers at the bostonxc.com day camp with Coach Broe. Why did you feel it was imperative to attend BXC ? I had known Coach Broe for a short time before BXC. He was always talking about getting a training camp together and once he started Boston XC I was super excited to be a part of it. I really wanted to train with a group of people during those lonely summer months and BXC was perfect. I met some truly incredible people at BXC and I am so happy to see so many Weston runners continuing to run at BXC.

DATG: I am so proud of you i remember watching the NCAA Div 3 XC Championship meet, I saw a silhouette of a runner who had similar running mechanics, getting out with a good charge with the leaders, I said to myself is that " My Main" Tyler Morris and sure enough it was. Please share the audience the feeling of finishing your XC freshmen year as an All-American ?

Tyler Morris: It is an incredible feeling, I am amazed by how much I have improved in such a short amount of time. It is a huge testament to Jared Beers and the Colby Cross team. I am so thankful for my training partners Eli Decker and Ewan Frick. Both Eli and Ewan pushed me to new limits I didn't know I could achieve. Eli, a Concord Carlisle Alumni took me under his wing this past summer and I was so lucky to be able to race side by side with him each meet. At nationals, we finished one place apart and it was an incredible feeling being able to share that success with him. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

DATG: What's next for Tyler Morris only a freshmen at Colby College, what's your short term and long term goals ?

Tyler Morris: My main goal is to continue training and racing with Eli and Ewan and see where it takes us because it has certainly been working thus far. We are hoping to put our top 6 cross country runners under 15 minutes in the 5K this track season. All of which will be returning next fall.

DATG: Your off to an amazing Collegiate career, I know you work hard, did you ever think All-American? Why Colby College?

Tyler Morris: When I started training this past summer my main goal was to make the top 7 on the Colby roster. So to answer your question no All-American never even crossed my mind. But being pushed by Eli and placing very well all season long by the end of the season All-American was the goal for both Eli and myself. I picked Colby because I wanted to go to a small liberal arts school that I could run for and pursue a degree in economics. Additionally, Monz recommended that I also consider picturing myself running for a coach for the next four years. When I met Coach Jared Beers and walked around Colby's campus with him I knew this was the place and the person that I would want study and run for the next four years.

DATG: What would you tell the Tyler Morris who was a freshmen at Weston ? What would you tell him about your journey ?

Tyler Morris: I would tell my freshman self that running definitely has some hurdles but the process is so rewarding. The hard times make the good ones taste so much sweeter that is something Coach Vinciullo and Coach Montrose of Weston both taught me well. The biggest thing I would tell my freshman self that if you truly love something then you will fight for it no matter how much it may hurt. That is the biggest lesson I learned in high school and I am stronger because of it.

A major thank you, Coach H, it has been an absolute privilege getting to know you these last few years and I feel honored to be mentioned here. Please continue to be yourself because you have helped and influenced so many great runners. I

DATG: I cannot accept the compliment but I will say Iron sharpens Iron.. Thank you for believing in Me

Previously on DATG: Questions to my former self w/ Rishab Prakash

Previously on DATG: Questions to my former self w/ Aaron Lucci

Previously on DATG: Questions to my former self/ Catarina Rocha

Questions to my Former Self w/ RIshabh Prakash @rishabhprakash8

In the running world we have various types of runners. Theoretically speaking we all work really hard as runners. In the context of personality type, i grativate as coach both introverted and extroverted ahtetles. In this particular case, where the mixture of hard work, talent and personality is what we find in Rishabh Prakash from Burlington High School now a freshmen attending Cornell University. Over the past two years I have started to develop a rapport with this amazing talent and better human being. Honesty is the best policy he is missed this year. However we are going to check in with Burly's Finest. 

Info:

DATG: First & Last name: ?

 Rishabh Prakash 

Social Media Instagram: rishabh_prakash_ 

Twitter: RishabhPrakash8 

Facebook: 

Age: 18 

HS Graduated & year graduated: Burlington High School Class of 2019

 College: Cornell University 

Events: Distance and XC PR’s: 

Mile: 4:14.88 

2 Mile: 9:08.02 

5K: 14:46.89 

8K (XC): 24:22.30 

10K: 30:10.5 

DATG: How are you man ? How are things at Cornell ? I’m doing great man! Things at Cornell are going great! It’s been an adjustment getting used to college but I think I’ve finally gotten into a nice routine and I’m having the time of my life. 

DATG: What's your major ? Computer Science and I’m hopefully trying to minor in Business 

DATG: Seems like yesterday watching you crush it here in Massachusetts, you had an amazing high school career. Where there any lows if so when ? It is inevitable that every great runner has some lows in their career, and a runner is defined by not only by their successes but also by how they have bounced back from their lows. For me, the biggest low in my high school career was senior year indoors around All States. I was amidst my best season of running and thought that I was poised to have a great run in the two mile, and thought that if I could stick with Ryan Oosting for the majority of the race, I could break 9 and make the race one to remember. There was a lot of hype around that race and I definitely let that pressure get to me. Unfortunately, I got sick a few days before the race, and despite that tried to put myself in the race and consequently died hard to something like a twelfth place finish and a very shitty time. I was very down on myself for almost a week after that race, but was able to get over my sickness and use my disappointment/frustration as motivation to run well at Nationals two weeks later. 

DATG: When did you start to believe that you were in the best runners in the area ? State Coaches my junior year was definitely a turning point in my running career where I realized that I truly was one of the best runners in the area. I led that race nearly gun to tape (before being outkicked in the last 150 lol) and ran 4:24, which was a massive PR for me at the time. I beat a lot of talented runners in that race and it really showed me what I could achieve in my high school career. 

DATG: Is their preference in favorite season or track event ? In Massachusetts, and Eastern Mass especially, we’re definitely spoiled in that we get to run at either BU or Reggie, two of the best indoor tracks in the country, for nearly every meet, so there was always an opportunity to run fast. So during high school, indoor was definitely my favorite season, and I don’t see that changing in college. Event wise, I thought I was a miler junior year and then moved up to race the two mile consistently senior year. In college I think I’ll be a 3k/5k runner, but I honestly love to race anything from the 4x400 to the 10K and just race in general, and think my versatility and range is what makes me a good runner. 

DATG: How is Upstate NYC treating you ? Gets cold and alot of snow ? How is that working out for you ? So far, the weather has not been that much different from home in MA, but we haven’t really hit peak winter yet so I can’t judge. If anything it’s just a few degrees colder than MA and snows more frequently, but the weather is pretty manageable for someone born and raised in the Northeast. The trails in Ithaca are amazing though so when the ground wasn’t covered in snow during XC season I was able to hit nearly all my mileage on soft surfaces with scenic views which was really nice. 

DATG: Go to Cereal: Lucky Charms or Froot Loops 

DATG: Biggest adjustment in College so far ? From Academics to Athletics ? Freshman year in college is really all about adjustments, and how well you can adjust is a huge determinant in your success both academically and athletically. Being a student athlete at an academically intensive school like Cornell has been far from easy. The workload is exponentially higher than high school, and time management is very key to ensuring you are successful. For a decent amount of my first semester, it felt like my life was really just doing schoolwork with running being my only break from that grind, but I have slowly started to have more time for myself. Athletically, running itself doesn’t change other than a slight increase in volume. The biggest change from high school has been the emphasis on all the little supplemental things, such as post run lifts, hurdle mobility, and recovery, that we do every day that adds to the length of practices, but are vital to staying healthy. 

DATG: Funfact you know I am gamer. Are you ? We have a Nintendo Switch set up in my dorm so I play a lot of Super Smash Bros Ultimate with my roommates and teammates. 

DATG: Favorite High School moment ? Third Place and All American in the Two Mile at Nationals. Being an All American was a goal that I had for so long so to be able to finally achieve that was surreal. 

Team wise, winning State Relays indoors my senior year was my most memorable moment. We had a tough couple of losses in dual meets leading up to Relays that decreased our confidence as a team, and injuries and other factors really left our team shorthanded. Despite the adversity, we exceeded our expectations in multiple events and were able to defend our Relays title. I think if you ask Coach Carr to tell you his favorite meet throughout my four years, he would pick that Relays meet - it’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him. 

DATG: Your taking a road trip and you can only play 3 albums what albums are there ? 

1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, since every road trip needs Kanye and that is 

undoubtedly Kanye’s best album 2. Big Bootie Mixes #1-#16. If you don’t know what Big Bootie Mixes are, they’re basically 

one our long mixes that top pop hits of the past 6-8 months, plus a few rap and rock throwbacks, but remixed to be up-tempo with EDM beats in the background and quite a few bass drops. They’re great for warmups and road trips, and playing all 16 would get you through 16 hours of driving. 3. A present day rap album, maybe today something like Astroworld or Drip Harder. 

DATG: Your School alumni Paul Hogan had an amazing career Post High School at Umass Lowell, has he mentored you or provided guidance along your journey ? Paul has been a huge mentor through high school and I’m sure he will continue to be one through college. More than anything, he has served as an example to look up to, and a runner that I can strive to be like. I remember freshman/sophomore year in high school when everyone would talk about Paul’s greatness, and thinking to myself “I wanna be like that.” And as I got faster and realized that his records were actually attainable, I would look at the school record board every day and it would motivate me to try to break his records. Seeing Paul’s success as an NCAA All American, and now as a pro runner for BAA, is something that will definitely motivate me throughout college. 

DATG: How is the Culture on the Cornell team ? I would say that our positive and supportive team culture is our strongest aspect and will be one of the primary reasons behind our success in future years. It was also one of the main things that drew me to Cornell during the recruiting process. We all hold each other accountable towards our own goals and push each other to be better versions of ourselves, while working our 

asses off every day at practice. At the same time, we are all best friends and have tons of fun outside of practice together. 

DATG: If you could play another sport what would it be and why ? Probably soccer. I played soccer growing up until high school and it was always my favorite sport until I started running. I’m also a huge basketball fan and can give any of my teammates the work in 1 v. 1, so either soccer or basketball. 

DATG: How was it to be coached and trained by my main Coach Matt Carr ? It is something I am very grateful for - to have had the opportunity to be coached by one of the best coaches in MA. Aside from writing killer workouts and training plans that contributed to my improvement, he definitely brought the best out of me as an athlete and truly made me believe that I could be the best. One of the biggest takeaways I will take from Coach Carr is in regards to goal setting, in that he would always say “if you achieve all the goals you set for yourself, then your goals were too damn easy.” Aside from that, practice was a blast every day with Carr’s sarcastic humor and memeable personality. 

DATG: How was your first XC season in College ? Any Highlights ? Overall, it went pretty solid. There were ups and downs but as a whole, it was a great first season. My first big invite, Paul Short, was a huge surprise in that I ran 24:22 for 8K (way faster than I expected to run) and placed really high. From there, I had a terrible race at Pre-Nats where I DNF’d, and a not as bad but still kind of terrible race at Heps. A lot of things like nervousness, bad fueling before the race, and stress from school, contributed to those shitty races, but I was able to improve on those things and run 30:10 at Northeast Regionals, and our team finished 9th running all sophomores and freshmen (with one junior) so our future and room for improvement definitely look bright.

DATG: What are your short term and long term goals ? Short Term: Run 4:08 for the Mile and 8:10 for 3K indoors, and score at Heps (Indoor), and hopefully sub 14:20 for 5K Outdoors. Long Term: Break 4 in the Mile and 8 in the 3K, win Heps as an Individual and as a Team, make NCAA’s as an individual 

DATG: I noticed that Prakash family isn't done yet with running ? Baby Bro is on the come up huh ? Introduced him here first and last name so the audience can check for him ? Do you believe he has learned anything from you 

Rithikh Prakash. Remember the name. He actually just broke 5 (4:55) in his first indoor mile a few days ago, so he’s definitely got a bright future. I definitely hope he has learned a good amount from me, just being at my meets and seeing me run the past four years. More than 

anything, I just want him to have fun with the sport of running during these early years and not feel pressured to run crazy fast, and eventually pave his own legacy. 

DATG: If we had an ability to go back in time and you could have a conversation with Freshman Rishabh who is entering his first track season what would you share with him that you think he could benefit from ? I would tell Freshman Rishabh to just have more fun with it. Running is such a mentally taxing sport, so if you are always dialed in 24/7 and focused on running fast in every single race, the sport becomes less fun and you go into races feeling more pressure and nerves than necessary. There are hundreds of opportunities to race, and every shitty race has the potential to be followed by a great race. I feel like I was too dialed in too early on, and would tell my younger self to just chill out a little bit more and have more fun with running, because it truly is an amazing sport with amazing people! Other than that, I would tell freshman Rishabh to keep working hard, and to stay patient. I was a bit of a late bloomer and would get down on myself early on when I saw freshmen and sophomores running crazy fast, wondering what I could do to be like that, but the truth is, all I could have done was stayed patient and let myself mature while putting in the work. So - have fun with it and stay patient and improvement will come! 

DATG: You know I need that Cornell Hoodie or Beanie ? Size Large thank you kindly. Gotchu! 

DATG: What can I do to make the podcast better ? Just keep grinding out content man! You also have a lot of outreach in MA, and I’m sure a lot of other runners would do Q&A’s like this. I think the public would love to read more content like this. 

Looking forward to seeing you crush at the IVY Championships 

Dreams Are Tangible Goals

Previously on DATG: Questions to my Former Self w/ Aaron Lucci

Previously on DATG: Questions to my Former Self w/ Catarina Rocha

Questions to Former Self w/ Michael Maglio @mmaglio23 @marshfield_tc

I am very fortunate to meet some amazing people in the world of Sports from the amateur to professional level. Honesty is the best policy the more we can communicate with one another and have an honest dialogue the more we can learn from one another. When I Started Coaching XC I met the Marshfield Rams, their Head Coach & Student Athelte’s and their families for their support..I asked Former Captain Michael Maglio’s a few questions below are his replies

Name: Mike Maglio

Marshfield High School class of 2018

Attending Purdue University

Major: Industrial Engineering

 DATG: How Critical is confidence in your self to be successful ?                                                                                     

Mike Mags: Confidence is a huge key when it comes to being successful. A positive mental attitude goes a long way, whether it be academically, athletically, or in another field. Displaying confidence shows that you’re not afraid to do what you really want, and it also lets people know that you don’t fear failure. Without confidence, it’s impossible to get things done, and others will be less likely to trust you. If you don’t believe in yourself, why would anybody else believe in you?

DATG: Reflecting back on the last 4-5 years, there are no regrets but what would you have done differently?

Mike Mags:Over the last 4 or 5 years, I wish I was more ambitious, and I wish I took more initiative to achieve what I want and be who I want to be. Anybody can be whoever they want to be, -you shape your own life- but if you don’t have the drive to be that person or to do that thing you’ll never change. Throughout high school, I was a pretty ambitious kid, but there’s always more you can do, and I wish I seized the opportunities I had and excelled further.

DATG: Besides Your parents who was someone you confined in and why ?

Mike Mags: I always confided in my brother, Nick. Growing up, I never realized how much it meant to have someone as close as a brother until I started having real issues and needed             someone to talk to. Although I know I can always talk to my parents, there comes a point where they just don’t understand. My brother and I have a very personal relationship; we  understand each other deeply and are always there for one another. Along with this, we have very similar interests and desires, and we always help each other to reach a goal or fulfill an interest.

DATG: What would you do to improve XC & TF in HS ?

Mike Mags:High school XC and T&F could be improved by encouraging more kids to give it a shot. A lot of great athletes who play sports like football or soccer are missing out on an opportunity to do something huge in the world of track. There are so many people who have natural talent and don’t even realize it. All it takes is a little encouragement to try something new for a world of opportunities to open up. During my freshman year of high school, I was unsure about doing indoor track, even after an exciting XC season. An upperclassman on the team named Reed drawed me in along with many of my friends. I can’t thank Reed enough for doing that, because that was the beginning of a long and exciting adventure through high school running.

DATG: Who was your HS Coach ? Was he instrumental in your growth as a person ?

Mike Mags: My high school coach was Dennis Sheppard, aka Shepp. He was definitely a huge part of my high school experience, and he helped me grow as a person. Shepp taught me the meaning of hard work, and he made me into a tough person. He taught me to reach for my goals, and he helped me every step along the way in achieving them. Shepp became a mentor for me, and I always wanted to make him proud. Whenever I had a bad race, instead of making a big deal out of it, Shepp would tell me to just put it behind me and start looking forward to the next one. This attitude stuck with me; I learned that life is going to have its low points, but the important thing is to let go of any negative feelings and to make a plan to bounce back. Shepp’s knowledge and motivational skills make him a great leader, and I cannot thank him enough for what he has done for me.

DATG: Toughest lost or disappointed race in HS where and when how did you bounce back ?

Mike Mags:There two specific disappointing races that really stuck with me. First was my during my sophomore year of outdoor track at the Division 2 Eastern State Championships. We ran the 4x800m relay that day, and we were eager for a title. The one team standing in our way was the boys from Wellesley High School. We watched as their anchor leg ran hard earlier in the day to capture the 800m individual title, and this boosted our confidence knowing that he would be running on tired legs. When it was our time to go, we raced hard and did all that we could, but came up just short to take second place. It was a tough loss, but I quickly realized that second at this high of a level was outstanding, and we were given the opportunity to go to our first All State experience. The next week at the All State Championships, we placed 6th and broke the 8 minute barrier for the first time, a huge feat. Little did we know that this 4x800m team would go on to terrorize the state of Massachusetts for the next year, winning multiple state titles and earning All American honors. // The other disappointing race that reverberates with me was my last trip to New Balance Nationals at the Armory track in 2018. We ran the 4xmile relay that day, with our hopes set high at placing in the top 6. We came in dead last that race. We were out of the race by the second leg, and I remember waiting my turn to run my last indoor race by myself. By the time the stick reached me, my motivation had greatly dropped, and I just wanted to finish the race. I was the anchor leg, and I remember at one point being the only runner on the track with still a lap to go. That race was disappointing, but I was still grateful for coming this far, and I had my mind set on my last outdoor season. While my final season didn’t go as well as I hoped, I enjoyed myself and still made the most of it.

DATG: What was your favorite race in HS and why ?

Mike Mags: Out of all my high school races, there is one that stood out more than any other. On March 11, 2017, I ran the in the championship 4x800m relay at New Balance Indoor Nationals. Our 4x800m team had a tremendous season, highlighted with meet records and a trip to the Millrose Games, but we still had one race left, and one goal in mind. To place top 6 in this race would give us All American honors, and we believed that we had a chance. As the lead off leg, I was very nervous of the competition I would be facing, but I kept my confidence high and ran with the big dogs. I remember feeling great with 300 meters left, and I began to pass runners and work my way up. I handed off the baton in third place to Joey Donovan who quickly attached to the leaders. He ran extremely well and took the lead going into the second hand off to Derek Holmes. Derek, per usual, ran an extremely gutsy race, and he was key to keeping us where we need to be. We knew there were some real studs on the anchor legs, and we only had a shot if we were with the leaders going into the last hand off. All eyes on James Condon now. James is a beast. He took off with ambition and grit, but the studs soon passed him. He held on tight up to the very last moment. I remember counting the order that we finished, I counted 7. We were so close, I thought we actually had a chance. But then I looked up at the results- I had counted wrong, we placed 6th. The feeling was overwhelming, and the rest of the week was filled with excitement and positive energy. It was the greatest race in my high school career, with a fairy tale ending.

-Mike

Sydney McLaughlin @GoSydGO UK Freshmen Lights Up Florida Relays in 400m

#FLRelays18 Women's 400m
1. @GoSydGo : 50.07 | World lead, No. 2 NCAA in-season performer all-time, No. 3 collegiate performance all-time, NCAA Freshman Record
35. Jasmine Mitchell: 55.67 pic.twitter.com/3yakdcAIAE

— UK Track & Field (@KentuckyTrack) March 30, 2018

The Weather isn't here in New England yet, spring is however peaking her head around the corner. Hey Why not open up your Freshmen Collegiate year with a few records and now a world lead in the 400 Meters for women. For people like myself who are your average lover for the sport of running this is very exciting to watch. Leaves us with many questions now what can she do by the NCAA outdoors Championship in June ? 

.@GoSydGo 5⃣0⃣.0⃣7⃣ - 🌎leading 400m in a rainy outdoor opener at #FLRelays18.
• Only Courtney Okolo has run a faster 400m time (twice) during the collegiate season (via @USTFCCCA )
Video via SECN+ https://t.co/KsSei3A0h7 pic.twitter.com/NZ5fBAigh3

— UK Track & Field (@KentuckyTrack) March 30, 2018