By Noah Fernandes ’20
The recent success of Bellarmine’s Cross-Country team can be attributed to a star-studded line-up, especially with the abundance of senior runners. Along with the upperclassmen, enter star sophomore Colin Peattie.
Peattie, a once in a generation runner, runs on the varsity team, something not easy to accomplish. For Peattie, running comes naturally.
At the beginning of Peattie’s 7th grade year, he picked up interest in running as his teachers encouraged him to try cross country.
“My PE teachers at my old school wanted me to go out for the Cross-Country team, so I thought that I would give it a try”, and it was all uphill from there “I just kept on getting faster and faster. Before I knew it, I was running on a full-fledged team with runners from all over the Bay Area, running at National meets”.
Peattie also excels on the track, running on the Distance Medley Relay team that finished 2nd at the Stanford Invitational. Add to that a flurry of events that he competes in on the varsity level. However, his best event from his full arsenal is the 1600 meter in which he currently holds the fastest time among the sophomore class while also being ranked 1st in the state in that event.
With his achievements in a mostly individual sport, he acknowledges many, especially his brother for his constant encouragement and drive towards Colin’s success.
“My brother is a huge mentor to me. He really pushes me to be my best self and to perform at the highest level in sports, and I just want to make him proud.”
Additionally, he credits his success to his teammates and coaches, especially Coach McCrystle, and Meika Boudoin-Rousseau.
“Coach has also helped me so much, not just in running. He truly has helped me be a better person overall, not just his coaching, but through all the little things he does for all the members of our team”.
Meika Boudoin-Rousseau ’18, who currently runs at Stanford, left a footprint on the program that is irreplaceable and has left his teammates with life long memories.
“The person who has affected me the most is by far Meika. Meika is what coach would call ‘the perfect teammate’. I remember the first time that I ever beat him in a 1600, he wasn’t mad that he lost to a freshman. Instead, he came right up to me and hugged me. He taught me what it really means to be a teammate. Meika’s actions as a friend and a teammate are something that will stay with me for the rest of my life”.
As the Cross-Country season approaches the end, there are still many goals that Peattie has on his mind. Bellarmine has a history of elite runners that go on to run at the national, and then collegiate level.
The team looks to maintain their elite status in CCS, and vie for a state championship, something very tangible for this talented squad.
“As a team, we are doing better than my expectations and I think by the end of the year we can go top 5 at the state meet. This is one of our goals we made at the beginning of the year, and I think that it’s very possible we could achieve it. Looking back, I never would’ve been able to do that without the endless support of my teammates and coaches.”
When asked about what he hopes to achieve, he puts his team ahead of his goals.
“This year as an individual, my primary goal of XC is to run at one of the big national meets that are put on at the end of the season, either NXN or Footlocker nationals. In Track, I want to make the state meet in the 1600. But that’s really in the back of my mind right now, because the team’s goals are way more important to me than that”.
Something the Bells have not done in a while is win state, and Peattie thinks the Bells are well equipped to do so.
“Also, all of us on want to qualify as a team for NXN and win the state meet in Cross-Country. We are all really dedicated and work hard to get better every practice and are all trying to achieve this goal”.
Like his fellow teammates who have helped him to succeed, Peattie hopes to leave with a place in Bellarmine’s storied running program and create a name for Bellarmine nationally. At the end of his four years he hopes to create a legacy with his teammates.
“For the rest of HS, I personally want to try and set the Bellarmine records for the 1600 and 3200, and as a team I hope that we can run at NXN. It would mean so much to me to have those records, as Bellarmine has a very storied track and field program”.
With the amount of work Colin has put in with his team, the Bells look to finish up the season strong and carry their momentum into the Spring when track resumes.
Go Bells!
By Noah Fernandes ‘20