Mitch McLeod showed promise in the very first race of his career, in the 2008 WNC Carnival, when he ran 17:28 as a freshman. Unfortunately, he didn't race again for a year (at least, according to results submitted to NCRunners). The next year, he ran 17:14 at the same meet, and has progressed steadily since then. He ended his sophomore year with a 16:19, then as a junior was part of the Chapel Hill squad that put their top 5 under 16 minutes at Wendy's and also won the 3A state championship. His sophomore track season was unspectacular, but last spring he let loose with a 9:22 for 3200 in the Raleigh Relays, making him one of the top returners in the state.
This fall has been no disappointment, as Mitch has dropped his PR by over 20 seconds to 15:33. He has his Tigers team poised to compete for a third straight state championship in the three years since Chapel Hill moved down to 3A (although they will face stiff competition this year). I caught up with Mitch at his fourth WNC Carnival early this year, and we talked about his goals and his college plans, among other things.
Mitch McLeod's Athlete Profile