|
It has been an exciting week for Chris Allen. On Sunday, the King Philip senior returned from the Foot Locker National Championships in San Diego where he finished 24th, then on Thursday he received his acceptance letter from Harvard. Allen made his decision to run for the Crimson earlier than most, and MileSplitMass had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about it.
1. What other schools were you interested in, and what was it about Harvard that presented the best combination of academics and athletics? I was recruited by a number of schools, including Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Yale, Georgetown, Umass, and Duke, and I received interest from Wisconsin, Oregon, and Syracuse. After some official visits, I felt Harvard was the best fit for me. A large part of the decision was that Harvard had everything I could ask for: great academic opportunities in all fields, unique people, an amazing location, and a motivated team on the rise.
2. Was staying in Massachusetts an important factor in the decision? Why or why not? I knew I wanted to stay on the East Coast. The fact that Harvard was close to home was a definite factor in my decision.
3. Harvard had a very good recruiting class last year. What is the prospectus for this year's recruiting class and where do you think you will fit in? Last year’s recruiting class for Harvard was incredible, and they clearly have the potential to do big things in the future. The team has an unbelievably strong core of freshman and sophomores that I am excited to join next year. I hope to contribute to a team that has the potential to become one of the top teams in the Ivy League and hopefully the NCAA.
4. Was your decision to run cross country this year partially due to the influence of the collegiate coaches you were talking to? Did any express a desire, or requirement, that you run this fall? I ran cross country this year because I was curious to see what I could do. My coach and others had told me throughout high school that I had the ability to excel in cross country, based on my track times. College coaches told me that they would prefer if I had some experience in XC, but weren’t opposed to me playing soccer. Some coaches thought that I had plenty of room for improvement in college because I had not burned myself out in high school.
5. It's relatively early for track athletes to make this decision, do you feel a sense of relief? How does this change your indoor and outdoor track seasons? I feel an immense sense of relief. Knowing where you are going to school next year takes an enormous load off of your back. I will still approach my track seasons the same as always, just trying to improve as a runner and get stronger and faster while getting in peak shape for the championship season. Since I do not have the stress of college acceptances and decisions weighing me down, I can now focus my efforts on schoolwork and my goals for the upcoming track seasons.
More on Chris Allen......Athlete ProfilePhotosStats |
