At DistancePreps.com our motto is "The Future Runs Now."  8 weeks have passed and we are now into the State Series with cooler temperatures and athletes ready to run to their peak performance.  This week's honorees are 2 harriers we think we can expect to hear a great deal from over the next 4 years.

Grace Blair, Oak Hall School (Bronco Classic, 19:16.80)

Grace Blair is our Girls FROSH of the Week

Grace's 4th place finish at the Bronco Classic was exceptionally good as she was the first freshman across the line and the first runner for the Oak Hall girls.  Grace also set a new season best and shows she is ready to go even faster as we near the end of the season.

Coach McTureous from Oak Hall adds, "Grace has been running for me since 6th grade and is a vital part of Oak Hall's cross country team.  It has been a pleasure to watch her grow and become the runner she is today.  Grace had a lot of success early in her running career and has pushed through a difficult patch the last two seasons.  It is difficult as a coach to watch a female runner struggle with her changing body and try to keep her encouraged and to trust that it all will level out.  Watching Grace embrace the changes and push through this difficult time has been refreshing.  Grace is respectful, fun, a hard worker and a positive part of the cross country team.  I look forward to seeing what she is capable of running in the post season".


Grace's season is rolling along as she shares, "this season has been a lot of hard work for me and it's been nice to see my times benefit from training. I've realized the importance of being mentally prepared for races and it's definitely helped my running.  It was a key factor that took a while to click but really improved my peace of mind while racing." 

We have a lot to look forward to from Grace as she gains more experience and helps the Eagles distance crew in the days ahead.

Diego Lavieri-Sosa, Ocala Vanguard High School (16:35.87, Marion County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Championships)

Diego Lavieri-Sosa is our Boys FROSH of the Week

Diego Lavieri-Sosa is in a great situation at Ocala Vanguard.  Not only is he running great times and competing very well, he is part of a very promising, up and coming team that is led by another great freshman, Joey Fitzpatrick.  The nucleus is rock solid at Ocala Vanguard and it's hard to not think of the past and the eventual rise of Steven Hassen into the national spotlight.  Consider that both Joey, a previous FROSH of the Week, and now Diego, are both faster than Hassen's 16:48 as a freshman.

Diego's 16:35.87 at the Marion County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Championships was a 40 second PR which is evidence that he can and will go faster very soon.  He was the 5th man for Ocala Vanguard as they scored a perfect 15 points at County, a first.  It's easy to see Ocala Vanguard getting better very soon.

Coach Travieso in an email had this to say about Diego.  "It's funny when you are running 16:35 as a freshman and are constantly being overshadowed by your teammate.  Diego is someone who really works hard, and races even harder. He started out number 7 on our team and worked his way into our top 5 the last 2 meets.  Diego came in with a soccer background and is a very raw talent. Diego doesn't yet understand quite how good he already is or how much potential he has to grow in the sport." 

Diego's first season of cross country at the high school level seems to be having a positive impact on not only his running but his team.  Diego shared, "well I love running for VHS because of how much better it has made me, and I think the team is doing great.  Everyone is stepping up their game right before the State Series, which is obviously most important".

Congratulations to both Grace and Diego, our week 8 FROSH of the Week.