Levi Snedegar (R) at the 2012 West Virginia Cross Country State Championship - Lance McDaniel photo
This is the third in a series of previews on West Virginia High School boys’ and girls’ cross country for the 2013 season.
Athlete: Levi Snedegar
Year: Senior
School: Greenbrier East High School (Class of 2014)
Location: Lewisburg, WV
Class: AAA Boys
Pre-Season Rank: West Virginia #3
Coach: Wes Lily is filling in until a coach is hired.
Personal Bests:
800 Meter Run - 2:04.15
1,600 Meter Run - 4:30.74
3,200 Meter Run - 9:44.89
5,000 Meter Run- 16:10.89
Athletic Honors:
2012 WV Cross Country All-State First Team – 7th Place (16:10)
Levi Snedegar, a senior at Greenbrier East High School, is the pre-season WV#3 ranked runner for AAA boys. In 2012, he moved up from 63rd his sophomore year to seventh his junior year, that’s an astonishing 56 places. His time was just as impressive, improving by 2 minutes, 41 seconds.
Cross Country: In October, Levi ran a PR of 16:10.89 at the West Virginia State Cross Country Championships to finish seventh.
Outdoor Track: In May, Levi ran a PR of 4:30.74 in the 1,600-meter run (placing 7th), ran a PR of 2:04.15 in the 800 (placing 15th) and ran a new season-best time of 9:45.28 in the 3,200 (placing 8th) at the West Virginia State Track & Field Championships.
Levi Snedegar 3200 meter career Graph
About:
Levi Snedegar started throwing shot and discus in sixth grade. He would run a mile to give him something to do after he was done throwing. He ran his first mile race that same year and was next to last in over 11 minutes. Levi played linebacker and defensive end in football until the first day of August before his freshman year. He then went out for cross country and stayed with it ever since. He also wrestled from seventh through ninth grade. During his running career, the one race that he was most proud of was at the 2013 Region III AAA Boys Track & Field Championship final of the 800. The Greenbrier East boys track team needed points to win the Regional meet, and Snedegar was in seventh place with 300 meters left. He moved up into third with about 100 meters to go. He then closed to within 5 yards, with first and second running side by side, Levi squeezed between them to steal second to give his team a huge point swing, so they could repeat as Region III team champions. Snedegar plans on running in college, but he is still undecided. When asked who the most influential person was during his running career, Levi replied, “I hate to sound cliché, but Steve Prefontaine is definitely a role model for me. I’m kind of built like him, and I have the same "get as close to death as possible" in every race mentality he had, but for people close to me it would have to be my grandfather. He inspires me every day to go out and do everything I can to be the best I can, and to have no regrets whatsoever. I've been so blessed with a great support system of family, coaches and friends, and I can’t begin to thank them all enough for what they do.” His goals for this 2013 season are to qualify for Nike Cross Country Nationals in Portland, Oregon, and to break 15:30 for 5,000 meters.
Snedegar’s 2013 Cross Country Schedule:
* Regular season yet to be determined
Oct 24 - Region III - Class AAA - Ripley, WV
Nov 2 - State Meet - Cabell Midland
Final Thought:
Levi Snedegar’s junior year was a breakout cross country season. He knows it takes heart and desire to get it done in races. In July, Snedegar attended The Smoky Mountain Running Camp in Asheville, N.C., to help prepare for his senior season. He ran in group one (the faster running group) with Matthew Brafford of George Washington High School.
Do you think his senior year will be even more phenomenal than his junior year? Can he challenge Matthew Brafford of George Washington (WV#1) or Andrew Milliron of Jefferson HS (WV#2) by unknowingly stealing away the first or runner-up places?