STEENS — Chris Webber and Glenn Misiak still are getting used to having the term “All-American” associated with their names.
After more than a month of wearing the term, Webber and Misiak like how it feels.
The Columbus Christian Academy standouts earned the distinction of being All-Americans after finishing 22nd and 23rd, respectively, at the in the 3,000 meters at the 50th anniversary of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic Games.
Webber finished with a time of 10 minutes, 7.59 seconds in the boys 15- to 16-year-old age group, while Misiak recorded a time of 10:18.4 in the boys 17- to 18-year-old division. Both races were held at Turner Stadium in Humble, Texas.
“It is crazy to think about,” Misiak said. “It is crazy because it was a competition that was so big and both of us did so well.”
Webber and Misiak were involved in fields that featured more than 50 finishers in both age groups. The competitors came from all across the country at the annual event, which went from July 30-Aug, 6. The top 24 finishers earned All-America honors.
Webber and Misiak, who are juniors at CCA, qualified for the AAU meet by finishing in the top six at the Region 11 Qualifier in July in Covington, Louisiana. Misiak took third in his age group with a time of 10:35.13, while Webber was fifth in his age division (10:33.34).
Misiak said neither he nor Webber was surprised they were able to earn All-America honors. He feels the experience, his first at the AAU Junior Olympics, will help him for the cross country season, which begins later this month.
“I learned that there is always someone else out there who is going to be better than you, so you can never really stop training. You always have to go out and go your hardest,” Misiak said.
Webber was making his second appearance at the AAU meet. He said his showing this time was much better and felt a lot better than his initial experience, when he finished around 50th. Webber said the competition was “insane” and that he got his “butt whupped.” He fared a lot better in his second trip.
“I knew we both had really good races,” Webber said. “I was more surprised by our times. That is best I have ever run by far, the same with Glenn. We both really showed up at that meet.”
Webber said he started to get nervous at the starting line right before the race. He said he didn’t want to come home and have to tell people he didn’t do as well as he expected, so he knew he had to give it his best. That proved to be a challenge because he said the pack went out quickly and he found himself in last place after the first 800 meters.
Webber didn’t stay behind the pack for long. As he started to move up, he heard the public address announcer say his name and tell the crowd he was moving up, so he scrapped plans for settling into the pack and continued to pick runners off.
“It really motivated me,” Webber said of hearing the voice of the public address announcer. “That is the best I have ever seen Glenn run, and that is probably the best I have ever run on the track.”
The accomplishment is the latest in a run of success for CCA in cross country and track and field. In May, the CCA boys track and field team won the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AA State title. The Rams used a team of seven competitors to win the program’s first championship. CCA scored 86 points to make history. It outdistanced Tallulah Academy, which finished second with 77 points, and Central Holmes and Canton Academy, which tied for third (71).
Misiak won the 1,600 (5:06.71) and was third in the 800 (2:13.74), while Webber was second in the 1,600 (5:08.56) and first in the 3,200 (11:28.62).
Webber also played an integral role in helping the CCA boys cross country team win the Class AA State title in 2015 in its first year. Webber won the 5-Kilometer race with a time of 19:27.86. He led a pack that included strong finishes by the team’s third through fifth runners (Dawson Shaw, Dakota Shaw, and Nate Parker) to claim the title with 32 points in the seven-team field.
Misiak believes the titles and the All-America honors are just the beginning of great things for the CCA programs.
“I want to do it again and keep getting better,” Misiak said. “Next time maybe get top 16 or top eight and keep working until we get No. 1.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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