Neal White
MALE
Neal White // Columbus North junior cross-country runner
White finished 12th individually in 15 minutes, 25.7 seconds for 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) Saturday to earn All-State honors and lead the Bull Dogs to a sixth-place team finish at the state finals.
His performance last week: “I feel really good about my performance. It’s definitely one of the best races I’ve ever ran.”
Do you do anything special to prepare? “Normally, I just try to stay relaxed. I have a little routine, but that’s about it.”
Favorite drink: “Red Cream Soda.”
Favorite food: “I really like chicken tacos.”
Favorite class: “AP Physics”
Favorite sports team: “Cincinnati Bengals”
Favorite athlete: “Shohei Ohtani”
Role model: “I look up to my mom (Stacia Neal) a lot for how much she’s helped me with everything, and I look up to some of the past runners on the team like Reese (Kilbarger-Stumpff) and Clayton (Guthrie) and Will (Russell).”
Best advice: “Search out and face the uncomfortable because you’re the only thing that will get better from it.”
Athletics goal: “I’d like to medal in track in the 3,200 (meters) this year.”
If you could travel anywhere: “Probably The Netherlands. I’m really into urban design and urban planning, and I think it would be really cool to visit there.”
FEMALE
Ainsley Sherlock // Columbus North sophomore cross-country runner
Ainsley Sherlock
Sherlock finished 94th individually in 19 minutes, 16.2 seconds for 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) Saturday to help lead the Bull Dogs to a 12th-place team finish at the state finals.
Her performance last week: “I feel really good about it. I was close to my (personal record), and I’m proud of all the hard work that I’ve put in.”
Do you do anything special to prepare? “I usually just like to talk to my teammates and have time to myself.”
Favorite drink: “Dr. Pepper”
Favorite food: “Mac and cheese”
Favorite class: “Dental class”
Favorite sports team: “Indiana University”
Favorite athlete: “Allyson Felix”
Role model: “My parents (Jill and Kevin Sherlock)”
Best advice: “Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.’’
Athletics goal: “I really want to go sub-19 (minutes) in cross-country.”
If you could travel anywhere: “Probably The Maldives, because I really like the beach.”
