Miles Sandoski never planned to be a runner–much less one who competes on the national level. In fact, in 6th grade when confronted with the need to choose a spring sport, he chose ultimate frisbee. Unfortunately, the frisbee team was full, and Miles decided to settle for the track team instead. Even though track was a second choice, his small decision would lead to six years of great memories with his teammates and many experiences of excelling as a runner.
Through middle and high school track and cross-country seasons, Miles has always been a team leader. When asked about his goals for the recently concluded 2023 cross country season, the first thing he said was simply, “I wanted to help the team do as well as they could.” This season, Miles enjoyed being a captain, and he emphasized that one of his favorite parts of the season was “[making]a lot of close relationships with other people on the team” and “branch[ing] out” to make sure he got to know and support everyone on the team.
This season, Miles not only stepped into his role off the course but also was a team leader on the XC course, finishing second on the team at ISL’s with a time of 16:36. This performance achieved his second-season goal of setting a new personal best and helped push the team to a strong third-place finish. Despite struggling in the beginning of the season, he ultimately achieved his goals and remarked that “if you put in the work, you put in the effort, its gonna pay off eventually.” After just finishing a strong cross country season, Miles’s sights are immediately set on the spring track season–most importantly the 800m and 400m.
Recounting his favorite memory from Belmont Hill sports, Miles mentioned this year’s competition at New England’s with the XC team. Grinning, he said, “I had a really fun time… it was overnight, and we played a lot of poker.” According to Mile, poker is a cross-country team staple, and was “probably [his] highlight of the trip, besides the race of course.” All of this highlights how important the team environment is to Miles, and how much he values time spent with teammates outside of running. The team and coaches will certainly miss Miles next year both for his athletic talent and his tremendous leadership. In addition, his friendship and positivity will be greatly missed not only on the athletic side of campus but also on the academic quad.
Looking forward, Miles hopes to run track in college, both indoors and outdoors. Given his success at Belmont Hill, there is no doubt that he will continue to thrive at the collegiate level. Although his time as a runner at Belmont Hill is coming to a close soon, Miles still looks to have a long athletic career ahead of him. The Panel Staff wishes Miles the best in his upcoming track season and in his athletic pursuits at the college level.
