Top high school runner Drew Hunter commits to Oregon
Top high school runner Drew Hunter (Loudon Valley High School, Va.) has committed to the University of Oregon to run for coach Andy Powell’s cross-country and distance squad.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Hunter told The Oregonian on Thursday night. “It’s been a childhood dream. It’s kind of a relief too, but at the same time, I’m really excited to work with Coach Powell. I think it was the best place for me. The future is bright.”
Hunter holds a 4:02 personal best for the mile, and could become the eighth high school runner to break the four-minute barrier during next spring’s outdoor track season. Last year, Matthew Maton (Bend, Ore.) and Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc, Mich.) became the sixth and seventh members of the exclusive club. He has also run 8:42 for the two-mile run, a personal best he set by defeating Fisher at June’s Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle, Wash.
Hunter won his third Virginia state cross-country title on Friday, and will look to improve upon his fourth-place finish at last year’s Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships as a junior. This year’s national championship will be held Dec. 12 at San Diego’s Balboa Park.
- Christopher Chavez
