Cameron Beal will head north to compete for Northern Colorado next year.
Q) Talk about the recruitment process - what other schools were you looking at, and how did you come to choosing Northern Colorado?
Deciding on a college started in the summer after my Junior year. I wanted to go to a medium sized Colorado school and I was recruited by Mesa, Metro, UNC, and UCCS. I visited each college two times (once for academic and once for athletics). Deciding on UNC was one of the toughest decisions I have had to make. They were all such great programs.
Q) What do you plan to study at Northern Colorado?
I am still undecided on a major for college. UNC has very diverse programs and offer many options for me.
Q) Has it always been a goal to compete in college?
I have been a part of the Vista program since I was in seventh grade. Running has always been a part of me and being able to run in college is the next step.
Q) You've made huge gains each year competing for Mountain Vista, talk about what you've done to make these improvements. And, what's the biggest thing you've had to overcome to get to this point.
Coach Dalby has emphasized 'the process' in our program. I set goals that were not too big or not too small. For example,I have tried to cut 15 seconds off my 3200 time each season and it has worked out each year. Also, I was lucky to have runners ahead of me that were fast and nice to be around each year. I have great stories each year I have ran at Vista. The biggest thing I had to overcome was getting injured twice my junior year. The coaches and doctors helped me recover and I was able to run at the state XC and NXR for Vista.
Q) Could you share any goals you have for the upcoming track season?
Our team is strong in the distance events and I think we will score well at state. If I improve as I have in the past, I should be able to run around 9:40 for the 3200 and hopefully qualify for state.
Q) What would your favorite high school moment be?
One of our team goals this year was redemption. This was our key word because we got 2nd at state XC last year. Also, we did not make top three at NXR. Ultimately, we ended up getting 3rd at NXN this year. I believe our senior class has been the best class Vista has ever had.