LEXINGTON -- He didn’t set a new personal record at the recent Citadel Invitational, but his time there in the 5,000 meters was good enough to earn Tony Morales scrunners.com Runner of the Week honors.
Presented weekly by Go-Green Timing and On On Tri, the award recognizes outstanding cross-country performances by South Carolina high school boys and girls.
Easley High senior Emily Lewis was named female runner of the week.
Tony is a sophomore on the Lexington High cross-country team. He’s been running since seventh grade when he was also participating in soccer.
"I started running to help with my endurance for soccer and I have loved (running) ever since," Tony said during an interview following his Runner of the Week selection.
His first-place time of 16:22.84 at The Citadel meet held at James Island County Park was around a half-minute slower than his best (15:49) and six seconds faster than the second-place finisher, Jack Manesiotis of Hilton Head High.
Morales' finish in that race help push the Wildcats to a first-place finish in the competition.
"My teammates help motivate me," Morales said. "We have a great team that keeps me working hard."
Morales' coach, Bailey Harris, said Morales has "an incredible work ethic and a desire to be the best."
Morales is one of the most dedicated athletes I’ve coached in my 25 years at Lexington High School," Harris said.
Morales won’t stop running once the cross-country season ends. He runs track in the spring and competes in triathlons during the summer.
"I’ve also participated in a few cycling races," he said.
Morales said he likes the makeup of this year’s cross-country team at Lexington.
"We have a very strong team this year. Our goal as a team is to win the state championship and qualify for the Nike Nationals," he said.
Though he still has two more years at Lexington, Tony said he already is looking ahead to college.
"I definitely would like to compete at the collegiate level," he said. "I have a long list of schools in mind."
His brother is a freshman wrestler at Appalachian State.
