The sun sets and the air cools as senior and captain of the boys varsity cross country team Lysander Duffield starts his afternoon run at practice. He jogs along the reservoir, the color of the trees marking another change in the seasons. He doesn’t falter in his steps, even as the fatigue begins to settle in.
Duffield has committed to continue his academic and athletic career at the Division III level at Carnegie Mellon University. He has been a member of the varsity team since his freshman year.
Duffield started running in fifth grade when he began participating in his middle school’s races. He later began running half marathons and moved into marathons as he got older, helping him develop a liking for the sport and inspiring him to pursue it. Duffield said the best part about being on the team is the community it has provided him.
“It’s really great to socialize with the people in practice. I spend an hour with my friends, and that’s always very enjoyable,” Duffield said. “Being with the team is really good, because you have these people you spend every day with, and it really feels like hanging out with your friends rather than a chore or anything like that.”
Duffield said that in addition to the sense of camaraderie that the sport provides, it also requires dedication.
“We have a culture where if you want to make an impact on the team, you’re going to have to work really hard. There’s a commitment. You train over the summer; upperclassmen have to run around 500 miles over the summer,” Duffield said.
Head coach of the boys cross country team, Dave Flemming said Duffield has been invaluable as a captain this year.
“It’s like having another coach on the team. He’s a leader and he’s really smart. His leadership comes through in the workouts when he leads them. He sets the tone in the workouts,” Flemming said. “He does that by knowing what the goal time is on the track and how to pace that time. Some athletes may be fast, but they don’t know how to pace, and he completely knows how to do that.”
Flemming said one of the most admirable qualities of Duffield’s is his level of commitment.
“As an athlete, he’s amazing. He’s tough. He’s super talented and, to me, he’s like a professional athlete already, meaning he’s really organized about how he approaches his training,” Flemming said. “He’s passionate about it and he goes about his training in such a way that he reminds me of a college athlete.”
Duffield said he ultimately chose Carnegie Mellon because of its excellent academics and impressive running program.
“Carnegie Mellon got sixth at Division III nationals last year. They are a very strong team, and it was great that the coach wanted me. The team also currently has a lot of seniors who will graduate, so hopefully I will be able to make an impact on the team,” Duffield said. “Plus, in college, you run the 8k instead of the 5k, which I’m excited for because I think I’m better at longer distances.”
According to senior Lloyd Feng, who is a close friend of Duffield and has been on the team with him since freshman year, one of Duffield’s main strengths is his humility.
“He’s quiet. He’s never talking about the mileage he’s putting up,” Feng said. “He doesn’t ever bring up the stuff he’s doing, he just knows he has to run. He’s really consistent, really disciplined.”
Having seen his training and progress, Feng said he was thrilled at the news of his commitment.
“I was really excited for him because it’s good to see his work pay off, because he’s always putting tons of time into running,” Feng said. “He’s a fast guy, and he’s probably going to motivate some people as well [at Carnegie Mellon], because he’s always showing up.”
Flemming said he believes Duffield will excel at Carnegie Mellon and will bring a lot to the table.
“Passion. Focus. Amazing talent. I think he’s going to be even better in college at longer distances. He’s a leader and a winner,” Flemming said. “He’s going to take everything that he learned in this program, having been a state champion and an individual champion and then bring that to his college team. He’s going to be a huge attribute to the track and cross country program there.”
