On Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011, Council Rock North senior Chris Campbell was recognized for signing a letter of intent to run track and cross country at Penn State University.
Chris Campbell – Penn State University (Track/Cross Country)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Penn State, Syracuse, Villanova, Richmond
Reasons for choosing Penn State: “I really liked the team and the coaches. A bunch of kids that I know from Pennsylvania that I met at the state meet are on that team, and one of my teammates from last year also goes there.”
When did the idea of running at the collegiate level become a reality? “I made the (cross country) varsity my freshman year, and I was fourth on the team, but it was really my junior year that I had a breakout season. I finished seventh at states in cross country and sixth in the mile and ran a pretty fast time. Going into my senior year, I worked hard, so I could reach my goal of running for a D-1 team.”
“It was kind of hard scheduling the official visits because I didn’t like missing practices. When I took my Penn State visit, I missed two practices, and it was hard. When I visited Richmond, I had a race the next day, and I didn’t run my best time. My parents, my coach and I agreed that I would wait until the season was over to visit schools, but I snuck the Penn State visit in during an off week, and after that, I knew.”
Coach Dave Marrington says: “Chris has a lot of natural ability, and he also has the desire to go with it. That’s the biggest thing – not too many kids have both.
“Last year he ran a 4:14 in the mile and was a state medalist his junior and senior year in the mile, and he medaled both years at states in cross country. He also was a Foot Locker finalist and was a four-year letter winner.
“He was a very, very good freshman, and in his sophomore year, he was in our top three or four. In his junior and senior years, he was our leader.
“He’s going to do cross country and track in college, and I think the 10K will be his best event.”
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