Vidhur Polam has announced his verbal commitment to the University of Pennsylvania to continue his academic and athletic career.
The South Brunswick HS talent has been performing at a high level on the track for years but came out for his first cross country season last fall, moving over from soccer. The switch was a success winning three races including a Central Group 4 Sectional title. He was 11th at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions and is among the very best returners in New Jersey this fall.
On the track Polam has qualified for multiple Meet of Champions, last indoor he ran to sixth during Indoor MOCs in the 3200m clocking a PR time of 9:09.54.
"I knew UPenn was the school for me after going on a couple runs with some of the guys on the team, a couple weeks ago," Polam stated, "I know it is common to say that the people on the team are the deciding factor when choosing schools but this was definitely true for me. When conversing with them, I could tell that these guys were hard-working, serious, yet goofy guys. We got breakfast afterwards and it just felt like we knew each other for a very long time. Other than that, after talking with Coach Dolan numerous times, I could tell that he not only wanted me to fulfill my potential in running, but also in the classroom. This was extremely important as I was looking for a school with a great balance between academics and athletics."
"Like stated above, when deciding on a school, I was looking for a balance between athletics and academics. As a pre-med hopeful, I was looking for a school that provided students with a host of research and medical opportunities. UPenn, being in a large city, near one of the best hospitals in the nation, and home to one of the best medical schools in the world, easily checked that box. Additionally, the alumni support at Penn is extraordinary, and I know that I will have mentors to guide me in whatever field of study I decide to pursue."
He joins a UPenn program that has seen its fair share of talented New Jersey boys distance recruits in recent years including the likes of Tim Dolan, Justin Cornetta, Ray Sellaro, Jared Cooper, Will Hare, Troy Hill, Alex Roth, and Anthony Russo.
He was also considering Duke, Georgetown, Northeastern, and the University of Michigan. Polam added, "All of these schools had great academics, running programs, coaching staff, and people, so I was forced to make a hard decision."
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