Rising sophomore Jack Whetstone of Emory University finished his freshman year track season with times that no one expected from him: he would run 32:56 in the 10000 meters, 8:59 in the 3000 meters, and 15:25 in the 5000 meters. Judging from his performances in the fall cross country season and in high school, his growth and maturation as a runner were a surprise to all of us, his teammates. However, this was not just a change in Jack as a runner - he would mature greatly as a person too.

Jack Whetstone attended Glenview South high school, where he would have his humble beginnings as a runner. Jack would credit his coaches in high school for getting him into running and keeping him invested in the sport.

"I was a really inconsistent runner in high school," Jack said. "My coaches Hass and Hilvert were not only understanding but super supportive and always made me want to run faster."

As Jack's training partner who does virtually every single run, workout, and race with him over the course of the year, I have seen this growth firsthand. In the fall, Jack would, like myself, often run workouts too hard and over-exert himself. Many of his cross country races in his first year at Emory were similarly run: he would go out too hard and fade later in the race, often not showing his full potential.

However, while the outcomes of the season and these races were not favorable to Jack, this was a formative time to bring him to where he is now. After his cross country season ended, our coach, Lance, would have both of us run more mileage to prepare us to be better runners. We easily averaged more than 70 miles a week for more than a month, with both of us nearing 80 miles one week. On many Friday mornings, we would drive out to the Chattahoochee River at 6 a.m. and do tempo runs of 7 or 8 miles in the 30 degree cold, a difficult process to motivate ourselves for with no immediate or foreseeable reward.

In one scrimmage race after we were done racing cross country, Jack and I delivered arguably the most memorable 5000-meter duel in Emory track and field history. I gapped him and the rest of our teammates a bit over the first mile, while he caught up and then put a 10-meter lead on me in the second mile. Over the course of the next mile, I would work to reel him in and over the course of the third mile, we would trade off the lead.

On the last lap, I started my finishing kick with 250 meters to go, and over the course of the next 150 meters put another gap on him. Now, let it be known that Jack is a runner that is not known for his speed. In fact, a running joke on our team revolves around his allegedly poor ability to sprint in the 400 meters, so I thought I had him beat. However, in the last 100 meters, Jack Whetstone unleashed the fiercest kick I have ever seen and ended up destroying me in this race, to the surprise and shock of myself and the rest of our team.

From then on, Jack's running seemed to have taken a turn. Jack went from an inconsistent and immature runner to the opposite: he would run like a metronome, with each lap split being nearly identical to the last. In the first 3000 meters of the indoor track season, Jack talked extensively beforehand about his goal of breaking 9 minutes in the race, despite not running any comparable time in high school. He would go on to run 8:59, and over the course of the season, his performances would earn him a spot to run at the indoor UAA Conference Championships, where he would finish as the top freshman in the conference. Outdoor, Jack would run personal records in every event: the 800 meters, 1500 meters, 5000 meters, and 10000 meters. The finishing speed that he was initially ridiculed for not having became a trademark of every race.

But Jack settled down and matured immensely away from races as well. He started to embody what it meant to "stay in your own lane," a motto of our team, and run workouts at paces much more suitable to himself. He would lead a lot of reps to make sure that we all ran at an appropriate pace, and off the track, Jack no longer bragged as much as he used to: in his newfound confidence, he became a much more laid-back presence, something that rising sophomore Holden Ringer put best:

"If I think anyone from the freshman class matured the most of the course of the year it was Jack," Holden said. "He was kind of like a nice aged cheddar that got better as the year the went on."

"My freshman year was amazing," Jack said. "I came in with a lot of doubts about my decision to attend Emory, and every single one of those doubts was erased first semester. I really settled in second semester and it was phenomenal."

One constant throughout the year and that will likely not change is Jack's commitment to the sport and the team: he was often one of the first people to get to practice and last ones to leave. As a freshman, he almost never late to practice, and that's saying a lot. Rising sophomore Tom Perretta described this work ethic of Jack as contagious:

"I'd just say that Jack has a contagious work ethic that makes it easy to get the most out of your workout while being with him," Tom said.

For the rest of college, major uncertainty still looms in the horizon - after all, Jack is only going into his sophomore year. Although he still hasn't decided on his major, Jack has thought about becoming a high school teacher after college. Due to his contagious ability to get his teammates to work hard and believe in themselves, I personally think he'd be good for it.

"Besides how rewarding and fun I know it would be, I draw my inspiration from something else too," he said. "Every time a teacher would make me feel like I was a problem or would ruin a class for me, I started using it to motivate me to never make a student feel like that. So, if I do wind up being a teacher, that'll be my goal."

As for running and the team, Jack's goal for the future is to step off the track his senior year knowing he gave everything he could to the program, his teammates, and coaches. He credits his teammates, coaches, and his family for leading him where he is now and propelling him forward in the future.

"Being able to talk to my family about running really helps me know they're invested, which means the world to me," he said. "Being able to goof off with my teammates at night and run workouts with them in the morning makes me want to work even harder for them, and I know I can always turn to them I also owe a ton to my coaches I've had over the years, for getting me into running and keeping me invested."

"As for Lance, he's given me more than I could ever imagine by running at Emory. I know he's someone I can turn to for both running and personal advice which is really nice to have."

If he has proved anything the past year - it's this: Jack Whetstone is a dynamic force with limitless potential for positive development. Jack is still only a rising sophomore, but his growth and change over his freshman year have the team fascinated at what's to come.