On Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, Quakertown senior Brett Wolfinger was recognized for committing to compete in cross country and track at Johns Hopkins University. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Brett Wolfinger – Johns Hopkins University (Cross Country/Track)
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Final list of colleges: Johns Hopkins, MIT, Bucknell, Lehigh
Reasons for choosing Johns Hopkins: “There were a lot of factors that went into it. I was recruited by some lower tier Division One schools and some higher tier Division III schools because I was on the higher academic side. I was originally looking for Ivies and things like that, but their standards were a little bit faster than what I’ve been running. I made the decision over the summer that I thought Division III would be really good for me because of the fact that I would have an immediate impact on their team because I’m on the higher end of the Division III spectrum whereas on a Division One team, I might just be (another) guy on the team. I wanted to do something like I did here and be able to be a leader and be able to make an impact. That really helped me decide the sports side of things.
“The school – I visited MIT and Johns Hopkins, and the difference between the two was night and day. At MIT, I just didn’t feel comfortable. It was too industrial for me. At Hopkins, there are trees and grass in the middle of the city. The buildings were all federal-style. The overall look of the place was really what got me interested. Just the reputation it carries for being one of the top BME programs in the country – that drew me in.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track and cross country at the collegiate level? “My freshman year I had the freshman attitude, and (track) was something that was really fun that I was pretty good at. Sophomore year I was really gifted with a great group of guys who sort of picked me up and recognized me as having talent and saying – we need to get this kid on the right track to do great things for the school and for himself. That’s when I saw – there’s a future for me in this.
“Junior year was when I hit my stride and found my home and had great success. That’s when I realized – this is what I want to do in college. I’m going to enjoy doing it in college too.”
Coach Ryan Stetler says: “Brett actually was not a cross country runner his entire high school career. He joined cross country two years ago. While he was training with us over the summer, I was a little unsure whether he would compete with us. He might just be honing his craft as a mid-distance runner getting ready for winter track and spring track. What a wonderful routine he had over the summer. The detail, the commitment he had, the nutrition habits, figuring out the breathing and stride rate. All the little intricacies of running, Brett picked that up almost immediately, which is a testament of what a student he is of the sport that he competes in every single day.
“I wish I’d had four years of cross country with Brett, but just in two years he made such an incredible blueprint on our team, and it’s really resonated with the rest of the guys on the team. He is constantly a leader every single day. The leadership that he brings to the team – he can verbally tell people, ‘Hey, you need to get going here. We need to start practice, we need to focus, but the lead by example that he puts forth every single day is a testament to Quakertown cross country, Quakertown track. We’ve been so fortunate to have him.
“In his first year running last year, he came in as the number two runner on our team. This year he was once again consistent – our number two runner, and the leadership that he brought, the skill that he brought to the team as a mid-distance runner was just wonderful. He truly is one of those guys that is going to be successful in whatever he does, and I know he has a bright future ahead of him as a student, as an athlete and ultimately throughout the rest of his life in his career. It was a pleasure coaching (him).”
Coach Sean Stetler: “My brother (Ryan Stetler) has the pleasure of working with Brett in the summer and fall, and I get to work with Brett throughout the winter and spring for track. We have a motto on the track team that I tell the kids constantly – first, you have to be a good person. Second, you have to be a good student, and third, you can be a good athlete. Brett is the embodiment of that ideal, more so than any athlete I have ever worked with. As a person, his character is impeccable, more so than any teenager I’ve seen. His leadership skills are unparalleled, so much so that I started calling him General Wolfinger, and it’s sticking. He’s the general of the team.
“Last spring, the kids were warming up. As a track coach, we focus on warm-ups so much. When kids go through the motions and are lazy with warm-ups, it drives us crazy. We always tell them – warm up with intensity, work out with intensity, you compete with intensity. The guys were just going through the motions, and I was getting ready to lay into them as they’re finishing up. Brett stops me and said, ‘Coach, could I talk to them for a second?’ Sure enough, he echoes everything I want to say in my mind. He said something that stuck with me – he said, ‘I want to leave something better than I found it, and that’s what I’m going to do with the track team.’ That’s the type of leader Brett is.
“As a student, I could talk about all of his incredible academic numbers – his GPA, his SATs and ACTs are stunning, out of this world. Again, it comes down to Brett prioritizing. I’m reminded of a conversation sophomore year. We had just completed a workout together and were cooling down. I knew he had some potential, and I said, ‘Brett, what do you want to get out of your high school running career?’ He said, ‘Honestly, coach, I just want it to be a tool to get me into the best school possible academically. For a 16-year-old to have that foresight and see not just three years down the road but seven years down the road, thinking in terms of college, it’s incredible. It’s worked out beautifully for him because he’s into Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering program, which is one of the best programs of its sort in the country if not the world. It’s the best of the best, and he’s in.
“Athletically, I could tell you numerous school records that he’s set, qualifying for multiple state championships. He’s anchored relays from 60-meter deficits to out-leaning somebody at the line. I’ve seen him get out-leaned by thousandths of a second and miss out on a state championship, kind of the best of the best and the worst of the worst, but regardless, you know when this guy is towing the line, he’s going to give everything he has from wire to wire, which is a pretty incredible thing to watch. Sometimes you just sit back and watch him compete. I could talk about this guy all day. I think I’ll be able to look back on my coaching career many years from now and say that this was the guy that really turned Quakertown track and field around. When he started four years ago, we hadn’t won a meet in seven years, and now we compete with the best teams in the state. (He) definitely accomplished his goal of leaving it better than (he) found it.”
About Brett:
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite music: Classic Rock
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