Athlete: Caleb Loftin
School: Spring Creek
Sport: Cross Country
Year: Junior
Hometown: La Grange
Parents: Kevin and Ashley Loftin
Loftin didn’t compete during his freshman and sophomore years. His intrigue in the demanding sport that relies on individual strength and mental stamina increased when he took a class taught by head coach Ian Combest. Loftin tried out and experienced a fairy-tale season. He won all five regular-season Neuse Six 2A Conference meets and emerged as the boys’ champion with a personal-best time of 18 minutes, 49 seconds. Loftin also helped the Gators clinch their first-ever trip to the NC High School Athletic Association state championship meet after a program-best, fourth-place performance in the east regional.
Gators’ head coach Ian Combest said, “Caleb is best summarized as the exact person that you want on a team, no matter what kind of team it is. He is dependable, respectful of his opponents, supportive of his teammates, committed, intelligent and hard working. Once he starts to believe in his own potential, progress follows. Being tall and lean makes Caleb one of the people who were born for the sport and his progress this season shows it. This has been the most successful season in our school’s history with so very many new runners coming together to make it happen. Caleb became a leader in that success. And that success is set to continue growing.”
