Meet New Milford alum, Tennessee XC and track runner Eli Nahom
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — My name is Eli Nahom, and I am a Senior running Cross Country and Track for the University of Tennessee. I鈥檝e been studying Mechanical Engineering and am set to graduate with that degree this upcoming May.
Running has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Whether that was my parents bringing me to a meet they were coaching, or sitting down on the third Saturday in November and watching the NCAA D1 Cross Country Championship and cheering for the Colorado Buffaloes, my parents鈥� Alma Mater.
Overall, my career at New Milford High School can be summed up with three team conference titles, three team state titles, eight individual conference titles, five individual state titles (with one being a State Open title), and two All-New England honors. When I was looking at schools, I wanted a mix of being at a high enough level that I would be challenged while also being able to get opportunities and not get lost in the mix of the team.
It was a similar situation for the coaches that recruited me. I didn鈥檛 have the best times, but they saw me as an athlete that was undertrained and had an ability to race because of how many titles I had, and race videos they saw. During my time so far at Tennessee, I鈥檝e been a varsity letterwinner and All-Region in the South Region.
College athletics is unique in that there isn鈥檛 really a typical day. Practice times, and class times are about all that stays predictable. This is what makes time management so critical. Some days I鈥檒l have no schoolwork to do and only a singular light run and other days I鈥檒l have an exam worth 25% of my grade, a project due, a hard workout, second run, and lift. The key to this is planning. It doesn鈥檛 matter how you plan as long as you
can remember what needs to be done and find time to work on it. This means I do a lot of work during breakfast and lunch and am known for it among my teammates.
College training is an entirely different world from high school. Right now, I run almost double the mileage that I ran in high school and run workouts I probably wouldn鈥檛 have thought of in high school, a necessity to compete on this level. Most people only see the perks of competing for a power five school like the gear, travel, and facilities but not the other side. Don鈥檛 get me wrong, we have a lot of fun, but there鈥檚 no room for error and your preparation physically and mentally become paramount. If you鈥檙e not at 100% every time you step on the line, it鈥檚 very likely that the race won鈥檛 go well for you.
The camaraderie experienced by a tight-knit college team is something hard to replicate. Whether on the losing end of an upset or blowing every other team out of the water, we take everything as a team and move forward to the next race. I鈥檓 not one to put a ceiling on long term goals but with about two years of eligibility left, my main goals are related to the team. I鈥檇 like us to win an SEC title and finish the national meet in the top six.
Individually, I just want to see how far I can push my ceiling both with times and conference and national placement.
For any high school athletes that want to compete in college, the biggest piece of advice I can give is to enjoy the process and make sure you鈥檙e doing it for the right reasons. You鈥檒l make a lot of sacrifices, but it can all be worth it in the end if it is something you love doing. You鈥檒l likely experience some of your highest highs and lowest lows but the lessons those can teach you if you let them will stick with you for the rest of your life.
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