South Riding, Va. — Freedom High School senior Osman Humeida has committed to Division I Virginia Tech to continue his cross country and track career starting in the 2017-2018 school year.
Despite the fact that Humeida held the seventh best time in Loudoun County for the 5,000-meter cross country race in 2016, he has never seen himself as a college athlete. In fact, there was a point at which he thought he would be cut from Freedom’s cross country team.
“I went from almost being cut from the team, to earning all-state [honors],” Humeida said. “My freshman year, I couldn’t even finish the 5K course at tryouts and my mile time was above six minutes. Now, I hold the school record for the [two-mile run].”
After three years of hard work, Humeida cut his mile time by nearly two minutes, as his best mile clocks in at a time of 4:28. While persistence and dedication were definitely important components in Humeida’s sudden rise, he has also had some help from some natural factors.
“My body changed completely, as I got a few [lucky]growth spurts and a lot more fit,” Humeida said. “My [running times]kept dropping as time went by.”
At Virginia Tech, Humeida plans on running the 5,000-meter and the 1,500-meter as well as the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Humeida is focused on scoring as many points in the Atlantic Coast Conference as possible for the Hokies. However, he recognizes that it’s going to take some time to fully establish himself on the Hokies’ cross country and track teams. In the end, he hopes that he can help lead Virginia Tech to another ACC title.
While running is a major part of Humeida’s life, he recognizes the value of an education at Virginia Tech, as the university is ranked 74th among all national universities according to usnews.com.
“Virginia Tech is a popular school, which makes it very competitive to get into,” Humeida said. “Academics come first for me, and I want to earn [a]degree in my major.”
Humeida leaves Freedom with a legacy that will be associated with the Eagles for a long time. During his time at Freedom, the Eagles’ cross country team has become a power not only on the regional level, but also the state level. In the 2016 cross country season, the Freedom boys’ cross country team won the Conference 22 championship and finished third in the VHSL 4A state meet.
“Without a doubt, I can say I will miss my teammates and coaches the most,” Humeida said.”My teammates are like brothers to me, as we suffered through painful workouts together and races.[They are] always supporting you no matter what. Finally, I thank my coaches for always believing in me and pushing me [past]my limits. I couldn’t have asked for a better team.”
