“On your marks, get set, go!” Hundreds of high school students from all around California set off on the three-mile race around Hayward High School.
Freshman Sebastien Swain participates in both Varsity track and cross country, as well as JV soccer, and was the only Piedmont student to make it to CIF this cross country season. Swain said he started running and competing when he joined the cross country team in 8th grade and quickly fell in love with the sport.
“I love both track and cross country, they both offer different things. There’s something special about being on the track and lining up to race compared to cross country when you get these big races with hundreds of people and it’s just a whole different experience.”
At the first cross country meet of this past season, Swain, as well as his teammates and coaches began to realize his true potential as a runner.
“Sebastien in particular, improved astronomically this past year, his growth throughout the season is a testament to his maturity, he trains hard and is a hard worker and has a really upward trajectory,” said senior and co-captain of the cross country team Julien Lee.
Swain finished 13th in the division four race at NCS championships for cross country and qualified for the state meet.
“When I started this year’s season, I was running faster than I thought I ever could. And at the end of the season we had a big NCS race in Hayward, and I had a really great race and managed to pull out as an individual to go to state,” Swain said.
Swain finished 67th in division four at the CIF championships for cross country on Nov. 25 at Woodward Park in Fresno.
“States was an amazing experience, I went with my coach and [my] teammate Julien came to support me. It was crazy to me that I had made it to a place with all the top runners in the state, which pushed me to go faster. It was incredible being able to compete at such a high level and pushed me to run the fastest I had run so far,” Swain said.
Steve Zirkelback is the head distance coach for both track and field and cross country and has coached Swain throughout this past year.
“[Swain is a] pretty quiet guy, humble, level-headed, and very thoughtful and kind and it’s been great to spend more time with him over the course of this year and get to know him and to see him improve,” Zirkelback said.
During the track season, Swain runs the 800, 1600 and is on the Varsity 4×4 relay team.
“Throughout the course of WACC for track and field, Sebastien truly demonstrated his deterrent level of determination and confidence in himself and abilities. Both physically as an athlete, and his mental and emotional stability to focus in the heat of competition and go after his goals,” Zirkelback said.
Swain was the only freshman in the top heat for the 1600, and achieved a new personal record of 4:16 making him the 6th fastest freshman in the country.
“We’re all very excited to see him grow as a person and an athlete over the next couple of years and he is going to be breaking many school records very soon,” Zirkelback said.
As Swain continues to put in hard work, time, and dedication he has only seen improvements.
“I am really grateful for my coach, he has been so supportive and the team has been awesome as well. I am excited going forward for these next three years, and seeing what I can do and am thrilled for whatever comes next,” Swain said.
