William Edwards - Trinity (3) HS
4x8 at Ship Invite (Credit to Paul Nesmith Jr.)
What was your most memorable race/competition?
I would have to say the state final in the 4x800 this year. We were able to place third and it was the culmination of all of our hard work. We all watched the success of the 2010 and 2011 4x8 teams who both took away silver medals, so to have success of our own, with all new personnel, was a huge accomplishment for us.
Where did you face your biggest competition?
The biggest competition I faced this year was definitely in the state final 800m race. Those guys are fast! It was cool to race against guys like Smathers, Jewett, and Wolfe. Although, I didn’t have to look far for great competition in practice every day with guys on my team like David Bricker, Matt Janton, and Chris Giordano. Teammates like that make everyone on the team better.
XC team after the Russell Run 5k in Hershey
Out of all of your high school accomplishments, which standsout the most?
This is definitely tough to pick a favorite but I would have to say the whole 2012 Cross Country season. Our team was able to come together to accomplish our goal of being Mid-Penn Capital Division Champions (which they better defend next year!!!) and I was able to qualify for the state meet. Another cool accomplishment that we had was that in one of our dual meets we crossed 5 of our guys across the line to tie for first place. Look for the team to be back next year and make some noise with stud senior leaders Corey Lyden and Chris Giordano!
If you could do it all over again, what would you change about your athletic career in high school?
Nothing! I’m happy with the way everything turned out. If you worked as hard as you could then there is no reason to go back and say “Well, if I would have done this or that…” because different decisions you would have made in the past would have you on a completely different road today.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
I played football up until sophomore year and I really put on a lot of weight particularly sophomore year… too much weight for an 800m runner. So that track season it was very difficult to drop my time and at that point I knew I had to make a change. The following fall I went out for Cross Country and that helped me drop over 20 lbs. by the time my Junior Track season rolled around and I was able to drop my time from 2:09(soph. year) to 1:59(junior year). I would consider this a minor obstacle though, I’ve been blessed with an injury free career which is invaluable to a runner.
What will you miss the most?
I’ll miss the friendships I made over my time running at Trinity. As any distance runner will tell you, Cross Country teams are very much like a family, and some of the best times I’ve had at Trinity have been with the Cross Country team. We even made a “Call Me Maybe” music video which can be found right here
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
Have fun and train for your goals with passion! If you’re running Cross in the fall make sure you have the attitude that you’re not going to miss a single workout over the summer. You’ll see that your hard work pays off! Running teaches a lot of valuable life lessons as I have found out over the past few years. Also, never be afraid to wear short shorts and remember to pull a funny prank on the girls team (Don’t tell coach T I said that though…)
How have your coaches influenced your performances and your life goals overall?
GREATLY. I have the utmost respect for my coaches and the time and dedication they have shown to the Track and Cross Country programs here at Trinity. Coach Turpin, Coach Gruschow, Coach Brownyard, Coach ‘O,’ and Coach Murphy are all great role models for us and teach us important life lessons.
What are your college plans?
I plan to run Cross Country and Track and Field at DeSales University under Coach Al Weiner next fall. For a major I am thinking Communications with a minor in Business. DeSales seems like it will be a great fit for me in all facets of life. I am very excited to work hard over the next four years and see what the future holds!
XC team at the Carlisle Invite (Credit Melissa Giordano)
Shout-Outs?
-First and foremost I’d like to give a huge shout-out to my parents for all their support! They put a lot of time and effort into making sure I’m doing everything I need to succeed. I can remember running out to “Giant” with my parents the night before a big meet to stalk up on things like “PowerBars,” “Gatorade,” and different fruits for snacks in-between races the next day.
- Shout-out to my Grammy and Grandma for coming to all my meets!
- Also a big S/O to my XC teammates! Hey Corey, Chris, Noel, and Alex, what was your time vs. Bishop McD again?!?!?
-Shout-out to Mark Bachman and John Goodson who are the two people I enjoyed racing the most
-Shout-out to Anne Maffey, Amanda Kusztos, my 800 sis Shannon Quinn, Alex Cramer, Robert Mott, Matt Sobotta, and my cat for being awesome
-Shout-out to my best friend Mo Farah for all of those hard training runs we did together, you’re the best
I’ll definitely miss all the friends I made and good times I had running in High School, but I’m ready to see what college has in store for me next year!!
Thanks for all you do for the sport!
Sincerely,
William Edwards
Want to be featured in our Salute To Seniors series? Drop me a line: don@penntrackxc.com and answer the questions below! And if you can, point us to a pic or two or include them with your email. Make sure you have the right to use it, please.