On Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, Central Bucks South senior Michael Cannon Jr was recognized for committing to continue his track career at Monmouth University. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery at the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p307518672
Michael Cannon Jr. – Monmouth University (Track)
Major: Bachelor in Music with a concentration in Music Industry
Final list of colleges: Monmouth, Duquesne, Rowan, Syracuse
Reasons for choosing Monmouth: “It was everything I was looking for in terms of academic opportunity and athletic opportunity. The specific music major that it was offering was something I couldn’t turn down. Specifically, I saw that my future there would be exactly what I was hoping for. The track team is excellent. When I visited, everyone was so welcoming. The coaches and staff and team are just a tight-knit community. I couldn’t see myself studying music anywhere else with the passion for music that I have.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track at the collegiate level? “I started running track in third grade. It was a sport I quickly fell in love with and I wanted to continue through high school. Starting my freshman year, I had some stress reactions in both my legs, and that set me off for most of the spring season my freshman year. I was very cautious from there on out through my sophomore year, but through some adjustment in training and some physical therapy and a lot of determination, I was able to overcome that and continue my track career at high school.”
Coach Jason Gable says: “Four years on the team and from the start he was one of the most driven athletes we’ve had come through our program. He’s very hard working and very intelligent about the whole training process in general. He was someone that was very coachable, but he also learned very quickly about a lot of the things that separate the athletes who are just here to compete and who are here to grow and understand how to compete and why to compete. So him going on and competing in college is totally not a surprise, and we’re all super excited to see him go to Monmouth, which is a great track program. He navigated that whole process on his own, talking with the coach and just making a huge leap from a young athlete coming through the program and then someone who is actually able to take ownership now over his training and really help others grow within the program as well.
“Michael is a sprinter. He was part of the 4x200 that navigated a very tough race at indoor states last year and got second overall. Three guys went down on the last lap, which was his leg, and he was able to navigate through them to get second. He overcame adversity. He had a foot injury his sophomore year and was able to take a step back and re-evaluate where he was in the whole process and be patient. For a high schooler to be patient with the training and even an injury is very, very difficult, so for him to be patient throughout that whole process and come back and finish as strong as he did – he was a state qualifier last year.”
About Michael:
Favorite food: Chicken Lo Mein & “My dad’s homemade cheesesteaks”
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite music: The Smashing Pumpkins
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