Each week this pre-season, we will interview one of the top returners from New York state. If you are or know of any athlete who fits this description, and is willing to give an interview, please email ny@milesplit.com
This week, we caught up with Brewster High School's Justin Maguire. He is currently away at Summer Training Camp in Pennsylvania, training for his senior season of Section 1 Cross Country. In his tenure at the local public school, he has placed 5th at states in Class A, 27th at Federations, and two sectional titles in a row. He is currently ranked 3rd for Class B at tullyrunners.com preseason rankings. He speaks about true dedication to the sport, his team, his coach, and most of all, himself. Read below what he had to say:
Give us a little background about how you discovered the sport. Photo courtesy of Tim Fulton
Throughout middle school, I never played any sports because I couldn’t find the right one for me. Even entering high school, I didn’t run Cross Country freshman year. I joined Indoor Track my freshman year and did not know what to expect. Throughout the season, I found I was a distance runner and watched as my effort paid off, carrying over into the spring. What motivated me most and connected me to the sport was breaking 5 minutes in the mile in the spring of my freshman year. This led me to Cross Country which has been my favorite season by far.
Describe your current experience at summer training camp.
I attended Stroudsburg Cross Country Camp in Stroudsburg, PA. The camp itself is a great experience. At team practices, the only people you run with are your teammates. Here at camp, there’s interaction with local teams that you will see at many of the meets. The team and I came for the purpose of improving ourselves as runners as well as forming friendships. Instead of knowing someone as just a rival, you form friendships with them. It eases the tensions between teams and gives another layer of camaraderie to the sport.
This year, the classes in New York State have been shuffled. How has this affected your mindset?
If the classes stayed the same, we might have been ranked first overall in the state. The change of us to Class B adds in East Aurora and Maine Endwell - two very strong teams. In our section, Pearl River and Tappan Zee should be our toughest competition. As always in a competitive team race, we need to elevate our fourth and fifth runners. Myself, Charlie Carr, and Adam McIe are the top three runners on the team. All summer, Coach Scelia has made an emphasis on our fourth and fifth runners, and our guys seems to be answering the challenge. Nick Cortina, our fourth man from last year, has taken his training seriously. Also, Winfield Greene is showing exceptional promise as our fifth man. Our goal is to win the Section 1 Class B title and the state class B title. The competition for the Section and State titles will be fierce.
Your team is very strong this year. You, along with Charlie Carr and Adam McIe, are all included in your class’ top 12. Describe your relationship with them.
This year, we have become a complete team. We all started running together, and always help to motivate each other to push harder. When it comes to workouts, sometimes you need that extra motivation from the team and coaches to keep going. This is what helped elevate me through the ranks as a varsity runner. Charlie and Adam are great competitors. Once we get to the key workouts, we certainly push each other tremendously. All 3 of us desire the challenge ahead and get pumped up for the competition that lies before us.
Last year at States, you ran very well, coming in at 5th for your class, which was previously A. Describe that experience to us.
A nice thing about states last year was that it was at a nearby location (Lakeside Park). It started the summer prior to my junior year with a goal of medaling at the state meet. As a sophomore I finished 69th at the state championships. Even working forty hour weeks as a camp counselor didn’t stop me from training to achieve this goal. I saw the State Meet as the epitome of my season, the culmination of my hard work. My coach and I thought I could finish in the top ten at states my junior year. That day, I just ran, using the hill to my advantage. To have the crowd of onlookers cheering as I was picking people off was a rush. Nothing was more exciting than for me to learn that I had finished fifth place. The greatest thing about this sport is not the victories nor the practices, but the fact that you can see your own efforts pay off in the fall.
Above: Charlie Carr and Adam McIe
Photo courtesy of Tim Fulton
What are your personal goals for your final season running cross country at Brewster HS?
To start, my personal goal is to become the individual Class B Champion and help my team to win a state title. A personal victory is a noteworthy achievement, but having our entire team win the State Championships, would be monumental. This is our team’s best chance to earn the State title and we are ready to take on the challenge. We won two Sectional Championships in a row. This year, our team is pretty much the same and most of us will be graduating. We want to make it a year to remember. Over the years we have gradually come together as a cohesive team. Coach Scelia himself is always enthusiastic and full of energy. Every time we walk into his office at school, we see the Section title plaques hung on his wall with pictures of us. Coach Scelia is a man who gives everyone an equal chance to succeed and is very realistic with us, making sure we know the true challenges ahead. No matter what position you are on the team, he recognizes you. I want to medal at the Federation Meet and give the Nike Regionals another shot. This is my last year in High School and I want to make it worth it.
Have you begun to think about running in college?
I want to run in college, but at the moment it is not my focus. I have looked at the Naval Academy, which I am greatly interested in. Also, the ROTC scholarship has been my pursuit with aims at a Marine or Air Force scholarship. Majors I am looking at are Chemistry or Computer Science. I will aim to run because it has become a large part of my life and I love the sport.
Coach's Comments:
Coach Scelia says, “Justin is at tremendously hard worker. He is willing to put in the miles that others won’t and he is mentally and physically tough. He never makes any excuses. He just keeps battling. He is a great listener at practice, follows our workout program, and had really become one of the best Cross Country runners in New York State.
