Meet the Panthers: Brian Spolarich
9/24/2017 10:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Get to Know the 2017 Pitt Cross Country Newcomers
Name: Brian Spolarich
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Oxford, N.J.
Previous School: Warren Hills Regional HS
Describe yourself using three emojis.
What songs have you completely memorized?
A lot of country songs. I know Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean and Body Like a Back Road by Sam Hunt.
In which movie universe would you most like to live?
I love cars so I would have to say The Fast and the Furious. I'd love to be able to drive one of those cars.
What's the farthest you've ever been from home?
Florida. I've been to Disney World on vacation.
Which app do you use the most on your phone?
Probably either iMessage or Snapchat
Why did you choose Pitt?
It's a very good school academically and the program here for cross country and track is pretty good. It made the most sense financially compared to other schools I was looking at. I love the team here. I love the town of Oakland.
What are you studying?
I'm still undecided.
Who introduced you to the sport of cross country?
I played soccer my whole life and then I ran this race in our town. I did pretty well in it. My neighbors told me I should try out for cross country in the fall. So then I ended up not playing soccer and did cross country. I fell in love with it and have been doing it ever since.
Who is your favorite professional athlete of all time?
My favorite runner is Mo Farah. I grew up watching him race. Before I even started running, I would watch the Olympics. I always enjoyed running but never got seriously into it, and Mo Farah was the guy I was always watching. That guy is amazing, he's so good at what he does.
Do you have any pre-meet rituals you have to do?
The night before I eat pasta and bread to carb up. I listen to rap before a meet.
What is the craziest thing to happen to you during a race?
My junior year, my team was running the 4x800m. I got the baton and at the line, a kid had stepped on the heel of my shoe so it was loose for most of the first lap. Towards the end of the first lap I took it off on the side. I ran the whole second lap without my shoe on. The amount of weird looks I got from people as I was running was amazing.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Oxford, N.J.
Previous School: Warren Hills Regional HS
Describe yourself using three emojis.
What songs have you completely memorized?
A lot of country songs. I know Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean and Body Like a Back Road by Sam Hunt.
In which movie universe would you most like to live?
I love cars so I would have to say The Fast and the Furious. I'd love to be able to drive one of those cars.
What's the farthest you've ever been from home?
Florida. I've been to Disney World on vacation.
Which app do you use the most on your phone?
Probably either iMessage or Snapchat
Why did you choose Pitt?
It's a very good school academically and the program here for cross country and track is pretty good. It made the most sense financially compared to other schools I was looking at. I love the team here. I love the town of Oakland.
What are you studying?
I'm still undecided.
Who introduced you to the sport of cross country?
I played soccer my whole life and then I ran this race in our town. I did pretty well in it. My neighbors told me I should try out for cross country in the fall. So then I ended up not playing soccer and did cross country. I fell in love with it and have been doing it ever since.
Who is your favorite professional athlete of all time?
My favorite runner is Mo Farah. I grew up watching him race. Before I even started running, I would watch the Olympics. I always enjoyed running but never got seriously into it, and Mo Farah was the guy I was always watching. That guy is amazing, he's so good at what he does.
Do you have any pre-meet rituals you have to do?
The night before I eat pasta and bread to carb up. I listen to rap before a meet.
What is the craziest thing to happen to you during a race?
My junior year, my team was running the 4x800m. I got the baton and at the line, a kid had stepped on the heel of my shoe so it was loose for most of the first lap. Towards the end of the first lap I took it off on the side. I ran the whole second lap without my shoe on. The amount of weird looks I got from people as I was running was amazing.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
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