On Monday, February 25, 2013, Central Bucks East senior Alec Brand was recognized for signing a letter of intent to compete in cross country and track at Shippensburg University. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Cardinal Camera sponsors all SOL college signings on SuburbanOneSports.com. For additional information about purchasing a commemorative keepsake of the signing, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/forms/college-signings.
Alec Brand – Shippensburg University (Cross Country & Track)
Major: Mathematics/Secondary Education
Final list of colleges: Shippensburg, Lock Haven, Binghamton, Penn State, Miami
Reasons for choosing Shippensburg: “The education was great, and the coach was incredible. He really gave a lot of personal attention, and he has super credentials himself. They’re great at my major, and they gave me good scholarship money. Tuition was really affordable, so it was a really good choice overall.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in cross country and track at the collegiate level? “I’m actually pretty new to track. Most kids do CYO and stuff, but I only joined later on, towards the end of my freshman year of high school. I only knew it was a possibility my sophomore year in my first year of cross country ever. I just missed making the state meet, and I thought if I kept working at it I could do well and maybe have a chance. In my sophomore year in track, I dropped almost 30 seconds off my mile time, and I started getting letters from colleges, and I knew I could possibly compete.”
Coach Gerry Stemplewicz says: “Both Alec and Jarrett Button have been team captains for winter track and spring track. Both come to practice every single day. While they’re leading guys in their specific areas, both are very team oriented – whatever the team needs. If it means running a relay instead of an individual event, it doesn’t matter. They’re very mature, and over the years, both guys – in their individual events – have made many outstanding contributions to the team.
“Alec is a vocal leader. He’s very positive, very upbeat, and he’s shown a good range in the distance events from the 800 on up to the 3200, and I suspect in college that will go even more to his strength. The longer the race, the more he likes it. He’s been a great contributor. He was our leading miler this year, our second leading guy in the 3200. He’s one of a quartet of guys in the 4x800 relay that was fourth in districts and qualified for states. The great thing is – of those four guys, three of them are back next year, and they have had the benefit of his leadership. They can build on their experiences and also build on what they learned from Alec. It’s a win-win situation for that relay, and he has a lot to do with that.”
Coach Sam Losorelli says: “From a teammate standpoint, the spirit and enthusiasm he has is just tremendous. He’s one of those athletes every coach wants on a team because he embraces the younger runners, he embraces the whole team concept. It’s not about Alec - it’s about what’s best for the team. I imagine he had the same attributes in track. He has a very strong work ethic towards meeting his goals. He’s a very smart, focused individual who knows what he has to do. As a coach, one of the number one things that makes a successful runner is their training ethics, the fact that they’re determined to run five, six days a week without a hiccough.”
About Alec:
Favorite food: Cereal
Favorite movie:Shawshank Redemption and Crazy Stupid Love
Favorite music: Asher Roth
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