Today we salute Jake Underwood of Wilson.
Underwood just finished up a strong career in XC and the distance events on the track. He was a three-time XC state meet qualifier out of District 3. His best finish at states came in 2016 when he placed 40th at Hershey. After finishing second at the Berks County Championships in XC, he earned the title this past fall. His has an XC 5K PR of 15:55 and track PRs of 9:30.92 in the 3,200 meters and 4:26.40 in the 1,600 meters.
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What was your most memorable race/competition?
My most memorable races were my sophomore year at our track and field county championships when I had a terrific battle with a competitor in the last two laps of or 3200 meter race, and when I won the county championships in cross country my senior year.
Where did you face your biggest competition?
My biggest competition I would say could be a battle for counties and districts. I raced against Wyomissing with Joe Cullen and Ben Kuhn and Sckuykill Valley and their super strong track team.
Out of all of your high school accomplishments, which stands out the most?
I think my county championship stands out the most to me. I was long waiting for my turn to win, and I finally reached my goal.
If you could do it all over again, what would you change about your athletic career in high school?
I would have definitely eaten a lot healthier. I wish I could have dropped lot more weight due to my eating habits. I will definitely be making a turn around with that in college.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
I had to overcome an early knee injury in the beginning of this past track season. I was behind on my mileage and could not keep up with the athletes I ran with last year.
What will you miss the most?
I will really miss my teammates and coaches, along with several other runners around my county and around the state.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
My advice would be, if you have the ability to run fast, then you should take that opportunity to do so. With doing that comes a lot of repsonsibilty, you cannot just go run a 5k at your best pace whenever you like. That is not how running works, you need to work up to my true potential.
How have your coaches influenced your performances and your life goals overall?
Coach Myer has really influenced me and helped shape me into the man I am today. I hope he will change so many lives just as he did to me.
What are your post-high school plans?
I will be attending Liberty University for the next four years to major in Digital Media and participate in the cross country and track programs.
Any shoutouts?
I want to make a shout out to my teammates for such an incredible 4 years and to Joe Cullen for being the best competitor since 7th grade.
