Biography
Honors
• 2-time All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in track and field (2015, 2016)
• 4-time all-conference in cross country (GCAC in 2013, 2014, 2016; Red River in 2015)
• 11-time GCAC Runner of the Week in cross country
• GCAC Track Performer of the Week
• All-Louisiana cross country honorable mention in 2016
Briefly
• Fifth year at XULA . . . Lettered four times in cross country, three times in track
• Did not compete in track in 2017
• Nine top-10 individual finishes and five top-5s in cross country career
• Member of three GCAC team champions in cross country (2013, 2014, 2016)
2016 Cross Country (Senior)
• GCAC individual champion; ran 8,000 meters in a season-best 28 minutes, 32.23 seconds,
won by 45 seconds and led XULA to team championship
• Won six GCAC Runner of the Week awards to tie conference season record
• Ran XULA's second-fastest 5K time ever, 15:41.6, at
Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival in Metairie, La.
2016 Track and Field (Junior)
• Third place in 1,500 (4:19.03) and ninth in 800 (2:10.74)
at GCAC Championships
• GCAC Track Performer of the Week for April 4-10 after producing XULA's best time of the season (4:13.69) and finishing ahead of
four NCAA Division I runners in the 1,500 at the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational at Natchitoches, La.
2015 Cross Country (Junior)
• Ran 8,000 meters in 28:39 to finish 10th at Red River Championships,
where XULA competed as an affiliate member
• Was still eligible for weekly awards in the GCAC, which did
not sponsor a cross country championship that year, and he won five times
2015 Track and Field (Sophomore)
• First place in the 5,000 (17:09.13), second in 1,500 (4:13.63)
and fourth in 800 (2:04.14) at GCAC Championships
2014 Cross Country (Sophomore)
• Four top-10 finishes, including second at the GCAC Championships,
where he ran the 8K in 29:44.63
2014 Track and Field (Freshman)
• Fourth place in the 1,500 (4:26.27) at GCAC Championships
2013 Cross Country (Freshman)
• Two top-10 finishes, including fourth at the GCAC Championships,
where he ran the 8K in 28:08.15
Club
• Qualified for the 2012 AAU Junior Olympics in the
1,500 and the 3,200 relay as a member of the Texas Stallions
High School
• Competed in cross country, track and soccer (defender)
• Voted his cross country team's performer of the year as a junior and a senior
• As a senior he helped the Klein Collins Tigers place third in the regional cross country meet
and second in the district and second in the area in outdoor track
• Ran the 1,600 in 4:27 to break the school record by five seconds
• Other best times included 2:04 in the 800, 16:20 for three miles and 17:05 in the 5,000
• Member of National Honor Society
Personal
• Two cousins played collegiate sports — Marcus Thomas (football)
with Navy, Chip Armelin (basketball) with Minnesota and Southern Miss
In His Own Words
• How I became interested in my sport:
I used to play club soccer growing up and would train with the track team and run
in a few meets in order to stay in shape. In high school, I realized I had more opportunities to compete in college with
running than soccer, so I decided to drop soccer and focus on running.
• Three words that describe me: Chill, calm, relaxed
• My goals for the 2017-18 academic year — academic, athletic, personal:
3.5 GPA for the fall and spring. For track, teamwise I want to do whatever it takes in order to help the team compete for a
conference title. Individually, I want to win back my 5,000-meter title and also win the 1500. I also want to qualify for nationals in the 5K.
• The most creative thing I do, or something creative I'd like to be able to do:
Deejaying
• The tastiest thing I can cook: Grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
• Favorite ice cream flavor: Vanilla
• Special routine or superstition before I compete: Eat a protein bar and go to the bathroom right before I run
• My definition of success: Being able to leave a legacy
• A movie title that would describe my life: Love Jones
• The best advice I was ever given: A dumb man makes mistakes and doesn't fix them, a smart man makes mistakes and doesn't repeat them.
But a wise man learns from the mistakes of others so he doesn't make those mistakes in the first place.
