TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - To repeat a title in any sport in an incredible feat. Over the weekend, Leon senior Cross Country runner Matthew Cashin repeated as Class 3A District 3 Champion. This Saturday, Matthew hopes to repeat as Regional Champ, and gear up for a run at State.
"I get up at like 6:00 am to go do a morning run before school, and then come out here after school to go run for an hour or so," said Matthew of his dedication to the sport.
"It does take a special kind of kid," said head coach Andrew Wills. "It's a self motivated, self disciplined kid that you have to manage your time wisely."
A special kind of kid indeed. While Matthews hitting the trails 70 miles a week to train, he's also hitting the books- balancing a 4.17 GPA in the classroom.
"It takes a lot of work," he said. "Just being able to balance it all out, making sure you're staying on top of it, communicating with teachers and just getting all your work done being diligent."
A lot of work that's paid off- both in the classroom, and on the course. Matthew's after his second straight Region title, and after finishing 4th at the Class 3A State Meet last year, he's hoping to go out with a bang.
"That's the goal, all year is just working for placing as high as I can," he said. "If that's first, then that's the top goal right now."
"It's fun watching him grow up," said coach Wills. "He came into a team that was very, very good and had a lot of great runners. He kind of has progressed his way up to being a great runner now and leading by example for those other kids."
A leader on the team, in the classroom, and if things go right, leading the way to gold at State.
