“He is as competitive as any runner we have had at Woodward,” cross country coach Tim Hamling said. “He wants to win in any competition — whether it’s a cross country race or some other contest we create — and this competitiveness drives him to be successful.”
“I played baseball and football but it’s just physical to me,” Sands said. “I like running because it’s all mental and it’s a lot harder.”
As a result of this mentality, Sands finished sixth in the Class AAA Cross Country Finals and led his team to a second-place finish in Carrollton on Nov. 10.
“He was our No. 1 finisher in all eight races that we ran this year,” Hamling said.
Last year, Sands finished 11th in the state finals.
“I’ve got better at finishing a race strong,” Sands said. “Last year, I kind of just eased it in. I got better at working at the last mile, running faster and negative more.”
Sands, who has a 3.9 GPA and an interest in medicine, is currently training for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in Charlotte on Nov. 24.
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