Owen States
had a difficult scheduling choice to make this summer: experience running camp
with his team, the Northern Nighthawks, or explore one of the service
academies. In the end, he says, "I knew I needed to go [to the service academy
camp] in order to really understand what these unique schools are like since it
is such a major commitment."
He reveals,
"it was really cool to get a feel for life at an Academy. I got to attend
classes and experience the rigorous schedule. Probably the best part was
military day where we did military movement courses, learned to throw grenades,
and shoot machine guns. Overall it was unlike anything I had ever done
before and I became obsessed with the idea of attending either West Point or
the Air Force Academy that are my co-favorites."
In a previous
summer, he trained with the Northern squad at a cross country camp in Ohio. He
remembers, "while there we met a counselor who was a refugee from the
Congo. He told us stories about his village and it was really inspiring
to meet a guy who went through a lot and worked to help the children back home.
Also, during the week we met Drew Hunter and talked to him for awhile. It
was awesome to meet such a big distance runner at a random camp in Ohio.
For me, it was a cool opportunity to be around these mentally tough guys and I
learned a lot from the experience."
States is no
stranger to commitment. His long-time running coach says, "Owen has accepted
his senior leadership role and has really stepped it up this summer. He knows
that he is now one of the senior leaders that many of the underclassmen look
towards for guidance. It may be that he has his sights set on West Point and
that leadership quality is now flourishing."
Coach Thanh
Ngo continues, "Owen's biggest strengths are his perseverance and great
attitude. Being the #2 runner on a team behind a very strong front man can be a
gift and a curse, but Owen loves the challenge of being the one who can hang
with David [Melville] and even push him in workouts. Owen has hit some rough
patches with injuries in each of his first 3 years, but he never gave up and
kept coming back to help his team in whatever way that he could." States says
he "would love to compete in college if the opportunity presents itself."
States lists
the WakeMed Course in Cary as his all-time favorite. He explains, "the
competition is always fast and the course is great for new PRs." During his
career he has improved at WakeMed from 17:18, a frosh effort, to 16:31 during
last year's campaign. In track season he prefers the 1600 to the 3200. He
earned a 4:31 PR in the shorter distance during his junior season. Ngo details
States racing style as "grit, determination, and heart. He puts everything into
each race and you can just see it emanating from him during the race."
States trains
and races in New Balance socks and shoes. His black socks coordinate with his
Nighthawk's purple and gray singlet. Although he claims to have no pre-race
rituals, he always tries to "say a quick prayer before a race and wish all the
competitors near me good luck before the gun goes off."
Wishing
others luck converts into team leadership at practice. Whether training on his favorite
Bur-Mil trails or around the school grounds, States describes himself as "the
guy who always tries to be at practice. I try to get to know all the guys on
the team, especially the incoming freshman each year."
