Salute To Seniors is a medium for "senior farewells". We wanted to give everyone a chance to salute them one more time as well as invite those seniors to tell their stories from the past four years. We will be posting this series through July, and already have a number of submissions, if you would like to submit check out this article for how to do so.
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William G. Dean
Colts Neck HS
What was your most memorable race/throw/jump/vault/moment?
My most memorable race has to be this years night of 3200s at Holmdel. Taking off 22 seconds for a PR in an atmosphere like Holmdel is something I'll never forget. Furthermore, watching all of teammates PR and the crazy seeded heat later on, capped of a crazy night.
Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
My biggest competition over my short two year career had to be Arun Movva. I raced him multiple times and would always see him coming through to the bell lap. We got to talk a lot and will be pushing each other training this summer.
What was your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment would be running 2:02.5 in the 800. The 800 was a race that I liked as soon I as joined track and putting up a solid time and a 3 second PR in our division meet was something I'll remember.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running or field career in high school?
If I could do it over again I would definitely have started running earlier. I started competitively running in winter track my junior year and was really playing catch up for most of the seasons. Knowing now that running is a passion I have and a sport I love, I would of came out freshman year for the team.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
Like before, coming in late to such a good program was the most difficult obstacle I had to overcome. I was joining a group of guys who had placed at MOCs, won groups, sectionals, etc and I really didn't know what I was getting into. I tried pushing myself earlier to only learn that I had to slowly build up and that results took time.
What will you miss the most?
I will definitely miss the team aspect of the sport. Running at meets and watching teammates who you train with everyday PR is the best feeling you can get. I will miss the inside jokes, laughs, and everything that came with the team.
What advice would you give to younger athletes?
Advice I would give to younger athletes is to train hard, and take the easy days really easy. You only get so much time to run in high school so make the most of it by doing everything you could to get better. To add on, take summer serious as that is the base to your whole season.
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
I can't put into words how much Coach Schlentz has influenced me. He has impacted my life greatly and has taught me so many lessons through the sport of running. He has helped me reach goals that I thought I couldn't do, and truly become someone I could talk to about anything: running, other sports, school, life, you name it.
What are your post-high school or college plans?
Post high school I will be joining the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University on a NROTC scholarship and majoring in electrical engineering. I will also be continuing my career by running on their ten mile, half-marathon, and marathon team.
Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?
I would like to say thank you to God, all my teammates, coaches, parents, teachers, and friends who pushed me through the long seasons. Special shout out to the alumni class of 2018 for bringing me in and helping me get into the sport.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Gig 'em and watch out for CN next year.