Palo Alto High senior Philip MacQuitty has made a career out of running well at long distances. He has become so accomplished that he earned a scholarship to UCLA for this coming fall. That's why MacQuitty's latest achievement seems out of character as the national leader in the 800 meters.
On Saturday at the St. Francis Invitational track and field meet, MacQuitty raced off the final turn and sped home to win the 800 in a sizzling 1:52.37. That makes him the fastest in the nation, overtaking Jason Coupe of Galt (1:52.47) as the best in the U.S.
"Yes, it's a bit odd because I've never really focused on the 800," said MacQuitty, who usually runs the 1,600 or 3,200 but rarely races anything shorter except maybe in a dual meet. "I've always had some natural speed and have been known to have a kick at the end of races."
To view the rest of this article and picture credit, go to the following link:
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=16181
5 comments:
Did Macquitty really get a scholarship for UCLA? I heard its extremely difficult to get a scholarship at a PAC10 school for distance running because they have only a few that they have to share with track. Even Mohammed Abdalla didnt get a scholarship for UCLA.
Yes it is hard to get a Pac-10 scholarship but many from the Bay Area have received them in the past few years. This would hardly be a surprise.
Most schools do not give full scholarships. Partial scholarships are more the norm.
Albert, you should interview this guy on the awesome season he's having
Here are a couple of interviews that I have done with Philip in the past few years:
http://albertcaruana.blogspot.com/2009/06/ca-state-meet-3200m-reflection-with.html
http://albertcaruana.blogspot.com/2007/11/catching-up-with-palo-altos-philip.html
I will see about posting an update.
Post a Comment