By Mike Dyer

 

La Salle freshman runner Travis Hawes continues to impress in his first year of competing with the Lancers.

 

Hawes, 14, finished third overall and ran 15:53 last weekend at the Louisville Trinity Cross Country Invitational at Tom Sawyer State Park. La Salle took eighth at the meet in a very talented field, according to La Salle coach Frank Russo.

 

“With four Foot Locker All-Americans and four individual state champions he may be the best to ever come out of our program,” Russo said. “He has a shot to win the GCL and the district individual crown as a freshman.”

 

Russo said Hawes has an opportunity to place in the top 12 and receive all-state honors this fall. Russo said he would also like Hawes to get to Foot Locker nationals as a sophomore – which would be a very rare in the boys’ division.

 

“He is no doubt genetically gifted,” Russo said. “He has incredible leg speed, he’s extremely competitive, confident and extremely focused on race day. He is also adapting to the day to day grind of our high intensity and mileage.”