Runner of the Week (3): James Settles and Olivia Pisacano
A new week brings a new set of Runners of the Week.
We honor James Settles and Olivia Pisacano as the Week 3 D3 Glory Days Runners of the Week!
James Settles
James Settles won his race out in Denver in 24:50. The senior from Colorado College is coming off a breakout year where he finished 4th in the Outdoor 5k and ran 14:08. Settles finished 60th last year and has found a new sense of confidence that is helping him make the leap. While getting to the national meet is important, Settles wants to make sure he can help his team get there as well.
This summer made James realize where he fit within the Nation. Prior to this season, he would look at guys within his region and think he could never compete with them. Now after finishing 4th, he finds himself training with those same guys this summer. Settles is going to continue to ride his confidence into the season and is excited to see where his fitness is once they head to sea level for the Augustana Meet.
Olivia Pisacano
Each season there seems to be a breakout star in the D3 ranks. This season, we think Olivia Pisacano has what it takes to make that leap. Going through the COVID season and sustaining multiple injuries, Pisacano is finally training healthy for the first time in her college career. She has stacked healthy seasons together which resulted in a season debut 6k of 21:13. While the RPI course is new and we can’t compare it to last season, the leading indicators are showing a breakout. She was the #1 runner for RPI while she didn’t crack the top five last season. She finished 2nd behind All-Ameican RPI Alum, Jamie Lord.
Prior to this cross country season, Pisacano dropped her 5k personal best down 17:33. Having been to nationals in both cross country and on the DMR, Olivia will take that experience with her new found fitness. With health on her side, she isn’t getting too far ahead of herself. She sets micro goals to keep her in check and makes sure she can accomplish something each practice and race. Most importantly, she’s having fun. We’ll see Pisacano more this season and will keep an eye on the results at the Pre-National Meet.
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