Elon University sophomore cross country runner Luis Vargas had a heck of a freshman season.
A native of Angier, N.C., he set an school record at the 2011 Southern Conference Championships with an 8K time of 24:49.07, finishing 10th overall with the best finish for an Elon men’s runner in program history. He was named to both the all-conference second team and the SoCon all-freshman team.
If he was honest, it surprised him.
“It still hasn’t it me yet, I guess you could say,” he said. “But the team has been supporting me the whole way, and it’s just been such an honor to be able to be that guy that pushes people to become better. Coming into the season last year, ever since the time trial, I’ve been improving.”
Many of Vargas’ teammates point to him as the guy who stands out among the rest.
“Luis, he’s always way out there,” said junior Ari Rothschild. “He loves going fast. It’s just something he loves to do — basic runs, workouts, he’s always out there.”
Redshirt sophomore Sean Magee said Vargas reminds him of an animal.
“We all new he was fast, but already, we’ve seen two workouts and he’s just like a gazelle out there,” he said.
Coach Christine Engel points to Vargas as one of the key returners on a men’s team that SoCon coaches voted Aug. 22 to finish seventh in the conference out of 11 teams.
Not if Vargas has a say about it. He said he has set himself some high goals and has worked out intensely over the summer in order to reach those.
“My head’s right in the game,” he said. “I’ve had one year of experience under my belt and I know what to expect. I know the expectations I have for me, and I know what I need to do to get to that higher level.”
Vargas said he hopes to reach first-team all-conference honors by finishing in the top seven at the 2012 SoCon Championships, taking place Oct. 27 in Charleston, S.C. But he also has the team in mind.
“As a team, I want to work together more, just communicate more,” he said. “Last year, we were a team, but this year we need to be more motivated, we need to really keep each other on track on simple things. If someone is doing something wrong, we need to be able to communicate that and not be shy, work together more.”
And it’s those simple things he hopes to improve on to push him to those heights — the healthy eating, hitting his goal mileage every week and getting enough rest.
Vargas says he is a very motivated athlete, seeing mental strength as the key to be a successful runner.
“When you’re out there running, you’ve definitely got to have something that will motivate you mentally, because that’s 90 percent of our sport, mental,” he said. “If you don’t believe you can, you won’t. For me, my family and my girlfriend, they’re my motivation. You have to have motivation to be able to be a good cross country runner for sure.”
With teammates pushing him and a reason to run, Vargas looks to capitulate the Elon men’s cross country team past expectations, and improve himself in the process.