| School: Lincoln | Graduation Year: 2009 |
Year Inducted: 2018
Sports Played: Track and Field
High School Honors: 3 Track & Field letters, PIL and State Champion in the 1500m and 2nd in State in the 800m
as a Junior (second fastest time in the country in the 1500m); 3000m State Champion as a Senior. Gatorade Player of the Year.
Post High School Career: 2 Track & Field letters at Princeton and one at the University of Oregon. BA Degree in Geosciences with a minor in Environmental Studies in 2013 from Princeton. On Duck Track team in 2014 while earning an MS Degree at Oregon in 2015. On Princeton’s record-setting 4x800m relay team at the Penn Relays. Won the “Spirit of Princeton” award in 2013 for exceptional service to the University Community. Presently Assistant Director of Admissions at Princeton University, now in his 4th year.
Commentary:
The magnitude of the impact that athletics and Track and Field in particular has had on my life trajectory cannot be overstated. Without Track as the core focus of my adolescence, I would never have been able to order and structure my life in the manner that I did. Track has taught me discipline, dedication, and the importance of surrounding oneself with people who provide positive energy and inspiration to you.
If Fernando Fantroy, my first real coach, had not seen in me my potential, there would have been no state titles, no Princeton University, none of this bright future which I have received. It is in the day to day actions of our coaches, parents, and mentors that we give the next generation the ability to chase their dreams and to actualize their latent talents.
I am eternally grateful to my loving parents Mark and Gail, to Fernando, to my older sister Bianca, to Lincoln High School, and to all those people who have helped me along the way. It’s a long road yet ahead but one that, thanks to athletics, I am more than capable of navigating.