Where to start?
JP has worked so hard at MBA, academically and athletically. He's earned the opportunity to attend a college as strong academically as Davidson, and to compete in cross country and track and field at the Division 1 level. Selfishly, I thought more Power 4 schools should have expressed interest in him, but I think he landed right where he needs to be.
Unless I miss my guess, JP will be able to compete, and contribute to the team right away. Unlike at a Power 4 school, Coach Allden won't recruit graduate transfers over him that might take his travel spot on the team. Davidson College also won't admit a bunch of foreign athletes to stack their team, like Oklahoma State, Eastern Kentucky, Holy Cross, and so many others. Running at a Power 4 school is such a grind, too, with academics often an afterthought or at least not the focus. In short, I think Davidson is a perfect fit for JP.
The recruiting process had been stressful, and strange, too. For JP, texting and e-mailing with coaches on a daily basis. College recruiting visits. Meeting with his academic advisor, Jake Myers, and the college athletic liaison at MBA, Daniel Childs. Both men have been instrumental in JP's college search and, on top of that, have been great sounding boards for him, especially this year, as recruiting heated up. It's been a lot.
JP telephoned Coach Jeff Langdon at Belmont U. and Coach Christian Hubaker at Elon U. on Sunday to give them the new that he had chosen Davidson College. Both of them were gracious and appreciative of JP's call. I cannot say enough about both of them, as coaches and as men. All class.
Jeff Langdon has been such a strong supporter of JP, almost from the very beginning of his running career. I often saw him at Bongo Java in the mornings, particularly during JP's junior school and freshman years, and he never failed to ask about JP or ask me to pass along a message of support to JP. He kept up with JP's race results and gave me sound advice about JP continuing to play baseball and run track until his junior year. Jeff has become a friend, and I think it will stay that way.
JP, and really, all of us deeply love Belmont U. We are sidewalk alumni, to be sure. It would have been so easy for JP to say yes to Coach Langdon and Belmont U., but in the end, I think he wanted to go away to school. It will be good for JP, I know, to go away to school. A lifetime ago, I made a similar decision under different circumstances when I chose UT over Vanderbilt. I wanted - needed - to get away from home.
Christian Hubaker was on JP the earliest, after Jeff Langdon. He was the most persistent in staying in touch with JP, text messaging him often and talking on the phone with him on multiple occasions. He believed in JP from the beginning and that meant a lot to JP, and to me. JP enjoyed the visit to Elon, as I did, and he respects Christian a lot, which is what made it so difficult to tell him he had decided to attend Davidson.
It would have been nice to get JP on campus at Washington U. in St. Louis, where he had a visit scheduled this weekend. It just didn't work out from a timing standpoint, and JP is bound and determined to run at the Division 1 level, and I support him in feeling that way. Some athletes have to find out, and JP has always been one of those.
The good news is that while other high school seniors are making their decisions, JP's is already made. That should take some of the pressure off and allow him to enjoy his senior year at MBA. That's my hope for him, anyway, although I know he will keep working hard in school and running.
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