Thomas Davis is a 2006 St. Xavier High School graduate. His senior year he and his teammates were on the first Kentucky team to compete at Nike Cross Nationals (formerly Nike Team Nationals.) He went on to win the Class AAA 1600m State Championship and continued his running career at Vanderbilt till 2010.
Below he answers a few questions about the trip to Oregon in 2005 in a flashback interview.
KY: Looking back to seven years ago when St. Xavier last ran at NXN, what sticks out most to you from the trip to Oregon that year?
TD: I'm not sure what was more memorable--NXN (NTN as it used to be called) or the process of qualifying for the race. I remember our team having a decent race at Great American, which was the first time we realized that we could compete with the best teams in the region. We were lucky enough to have a rematch against LaSalle (3rd at Great American, I believe) a couple weeks later at the Horse Park. We knew that was our only shot to move up in the rankings, so we had to win. LaSalle went out aggressive in that race, but no one panicked from St. X and we patiently tracked down the LaSalle runners, beating them by 13 points and securing a top 2 ranking for the rest of the season.
In Oregon, I'll never forget how blown away we were by the treatment we received. I certainly had no idea what to expect--meeting the world's best runners, the free Nike gear, touring the Nike campus, and being in an environment where running is king. Knowing how memorable the NXN experience is, I've impatiently followed Kentucky running since graduation, hoping for another team to qualify so that they too could experience that trip to Portland.
KY: How was it different running at NXN compared to running at any regular season race or even the Kentucky State Championships?
TD: The atmosphere at NXN is unlike any other high school race that runners will experience. I remember getting into cross country originally in 7th grade because I liked the idea of running through mud and difficult terrain. In high school, the most prestigious races are generally on manicured golf courses. NXN was completely different. It was just above freezing and had been raining 30 days straight leading up to our race. I remember a Nike representative telling us that they considered draining the lake that had formed in the middle of the course but that they decided to leave it because it wouldn't be cross country otherwise. We all loved it! Running through ice cold water that was close to 1 foot deep at times, running over hills, and jumping over hay bales. It was a sloppy course, and people were wiping out all around me as we jumped the hurdles. It was hands-down the most memorable course of my running career.
KY: Have you kept up the success of this year's squad, if so what are your thoughts on the team making it back to Oregon after tying a KY State Record low with 20 points scored at state.
TD: I've been following St. X since graduation and have tried to get to know some of the guys on the team because I see the current team as another generation of my St. X family. Coach Medley has created a great culture on the team, and running for him has been a defining life experience. This year's team is, in my opinion, the best team in the history of Kentucky. They deserve every bit of success that they have had to date because I know how focused they have been for the last 4 years and how hard they have worked to get to this point. We were all very excited when we qualified for NXN in 2005, and I'm so thrilled to see another St. X team take what we have done to the next level. I love watching these guys break the records that we set when we were running in 2005--both in cross country and track. It's all about pushing the state of Kentucky forward. My hope is for more teams from Kentucky to qualify for NXN in the future.
KY: Where are you at now in life? Just an update, career, school, etc.
TD: I'm currently a third year medical student at Vanderbilt and have loved getting to spend the last 7 years in Music City. I'm planning on going into emergency medicine and hope to leave enough room in my life to pursue my many other passions.