On Feb. 21, senior Mason Deal broke the school’s two-mile record at the Dorman Distance Carnival. His time was 10:09.

Deal said that he had hoped to set this record but that it came earlier than he expected. He said he realized at the end of the first mile that breaking the record was possible.

Deal’s coaches were a large part of his success.

“I was able to help him see that the majority of runners start a race too fast, then slow down due to fatigue,” track coach Zachary Beach said.
Coach Rachael Edwards, one of Deal’s cross country coaches, was considered one of his biggest supporters.

“Edwards was really excited because she knew that would be a meaningful win,” Deal said.
Deal was able to beat the record by five seconds.

“Mason’s best time last year was 10:29, so he improved 20 seconds in a year,” Beach said. “For a distance runner, that is a huge accomplishment.”

Deal said he has had a great season so far, but he is not finished yet:

“I want to break the school record in the mile.”