Surging Sprint Recruit Cameron Rose Lands With Virginia Tech

Graphic Credit: Logan French

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Hickory Ridge High School senior Cameron Rose on Wednesday signed with the defending men's track and field ACC champions.

The Virginia Tech Hokies.

He announced his decision exclusively on MileSplit's Instagram live in front of friends and family.

Rose has climbed the national ranks in the Class of 2020 due to his elite performances in the 2019 postseason. The senior is No. 20 on MileSplit's most recent Class of 2020 Top 50 Recruits, and jumped 30 spots from the initial list in May.

He's within the top-five fastest returners in the 100m and 200m, with wind-legal PRs of 10.39 and 21.01. Last season, he won two NCHSAA 4A State Championships and earned All-American status at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.



Rose said Virginia Tech has been on his radar since his sophomore year, but after feeling like his goals aligned with his future teammates, the choice seemed easy.

"Just being on the visit chilling with the team, I could already see myself fitting in with the way they did things," he said. "My personality was the same as theirs; they want to get better. They were able to have fun, but when it came to practice, they were able to focus and get the work done"

The men of Virginia Tech have had plenty of success within the last decade. The Hokies swept their first ACC indoor and outdoor titles in 2011, and they have won seven additional titles to-date.

Besides team success, Virginia Tech sprinters have shown improvement under assistant coach Tim Vaught. Sophomore Cole Beck who ran PR'd by over a tenth with the Hokies, ran a new an All-ACC mark of 10.22 and Jacory Pattersonwho won both ACC titles in the 400m, broke the U20 indoor 300m world record with an effort of 32.49.


"He [Coach Vaught] said with my talent and everything just coming in, I could be that missing piece that can bring it all together as far as relays, individuals," Rose said. "They were ACC champions last year, but I think by the time I get there we'll be competing for a national championship."

Before making his final decision, Rose's top three schools included South Carolina and Tennessee, but his mind always came back to Virginia Tech.

"After that visit, I kind of knew that was going to be the best place for me to get better," Rose said. "Everyone was focused, the education is good, and I just had a feeling that I could be good here."

The ACC is no stranger to sprint dominant programs like Florida State, Miami and Clemson. Rose says he's ready for the new challenge of Division I track and field. 

After working on his start all summer, Rose has big goals for his final season before beginning his new journey. The senior wants to drop his times to 10.1, sub-21 and even get in enough shape to take a try at the 400m.