Zack Beavin, graduated from St. Xavier High School after being part of two Class AAA State Cross Country Championship teams. He ended his senior year as part of the state winning 4x800m Relay team from St. Xavier which also broke the overall Kentucky State Record with a time of 7:52.18.
He answered some KYtrackXC.com Senior Send-off Questions below. If you graduated and are interested in answering the same questions, please email them to jonathan@kytrackxc.com
What was your most memorable race?
The most memorable race for me personally was Coach Horan's baby-- the 3200 at this year's Eastern Relays. Racing under the lights with perfect conditions and stacked competition made the night perfect for a crazy fast time I never thought I could do. Part of what made the race so memorable, too, was how fast the Kentuckians ran. That race put us on the map and showed the strength of Kentucky on a whole new level.
Where did you face your biggest competition?
The biggest competition I ever came face to face with was probably at New Balance Indoor Nationals this year. Though I didn't personally face the likes of Edward Cheserek in his crazy last leg of the DMR or Erin Finn in her national record 5k, I knew I was in the presence of the best runners in the country.
Out of all of your high school accomplishments which stands out the most?
Winning two state titles in cross country is what stands out the most to me when I reflect on my high school accomplishments. Winning state was a great feeling, and nothing else I ever did individually ever really came close to that.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
I feel lucky to have had such a great high school running experience. I wouldn't have changed anything I had control over, though there were a few uncontrollable things I would have liked to change. Had Jackson Carnes been healthy and run at Nike Cross Region my sophomore year, we would have gone to Nationals. I don't feel like I ever ran to my full potential at cross country state, which will always bother me. I feel lucky to have so few "what if's," though.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
I was lucky. I was only seriously injured once during my high school career. Freshman year, I had the goal of running sub-10 for the 3200. I went 10:10 at Lenny Lyles and then hurt myself on a hard 10 miler the next day. I was horribly frustrated that season, ran an 11-something at Eastern, and never got back to my pre-injury level of running. I lost a lot of confidence in my running, but somehow managed to put it behind me and have a solid sophomore cross country season, thanks to Coach Medley.
What will you miss the most?
I will miss my team more than anything. I've had such awesome teammates over the years, and it's been hard accepting that I have to leave them. These are the guys that went 1-8 on a Tuesday 800 with everyone running 2:02 or better. They're the guys that scored 32 points at state; the guys who set the 4x8 state record; the guys who averaged under 16 flat for the 5k at Great American; the guys who I literally ran thousands of miles with over the years. I'll miss all of them because they are my brothers.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
To younger athletes: don't blink. Take everything in, starting your first practice of freshman year, because it will be over before you know it. 4 years sounds like a long time, but I've just realized how short it really is.
What are your college plans?
I'm heading down to Nashville this fall to attend Belmont University. I'm going to probably study biochemistry and will definitely be running. I'm excited for these next four years. I want to see how fast I can get, and can't wait to run at the next level so I can beat Joe Buechler's pr's in college, because I apparently failed in high school.