Over the years, Londonderry has been home to some talented young racers who burst out onto the scene as soon as their season commences. However, one racer in particular has accomplished a feat many can only dream of doing.
Freshman Will Heenan put together the performance of his life this past weekend at Brown, achieving the 14th best time in the country for freshman boys.
“I felt [the race] went extremely well, but a bit unexpected,” Heenan said. “I was just trying to break 16:30, and I ended up breaking 16 minutes. I never would’ve expected I’d be 14th in the country for freshmen.”
While this is Heenan’s best time to date, putting up low times is nothing new for the speedy freshman racer. In his last 5k race at Battle of the Border in Alvirne, he ran a 17:12.
“[Battle of the Border] was a pretty tough course, but I didn’t think I’d be taking a minute off that time for the race at Brown,” Heenan said.
He has impressed just about everyone, including cross country coach Matt Smith.
“He’s obviously talented,” Smith said. “ But he’s also a polite kid who would do anything for his teammates. He’s proud of his own success, but he’s just as concerned for everyone else on the team.”
In fact, according to Smith, if Heenan finishes the race before his teammates, he always waits at the finish line for the rest of his team.
Looking forward, Heenan will look to build off his record-breaking run time and finish off his 2017 campaign strong. Now that he has made a name for himself on a big stage, it is imperative that he bolsters his sustainability to last for a long time.
“I am just going to keep training as hard as possible and listen to the advice my coaches have to give me,” Heenan said.
