Name: Zachary Beaton
School: Hermon High School
What was your most memorable meet? For me my most memorable meet was the 2018 Indoor state meet. This is the most memorable meet for me because it was when I won my first ever state title. It was the first meet when I'd realized how much my hard work had payed off. This meet showed me that I was capable of exceeding my own standards that I had set for myself. Winning a state title had been my goal from the very first track meet I ran, so walking away from that meet with 3 made it unforgettable.
Who would you consider your biggest competition? My biggest competition over these last 4 years is easily the athletes from York High School. Sophomore and junior year I remember competing against Zach Westman in the hurdles and the triple jump, he was definitely someone that pushed me competing wise. Other athletes from York like Jake Martin also pushed me immensely in the hurdles and jumps. In addition, even though the athletes from York have been my best and biggest competition, they have also shown great sportsmanship throughout the years and have made competing with them both enjoyable and fun at the same time.I'm grateful for the athletes from York that I have competed with and I'm thankful for them for pushing me to do well over the years.
What was your greatest accomplishment? My greatest accomplishment in my career was breaking the Class B 110m hurdle state record with a 14.53. I never thought I could ever get my hurdle times that low. Breaking that record was something that I never thought I could do. I'm very happy that I was able to get my hurdle times that low and am curious to see what college hurdling will bring. I'm also extremely happy to walk away from my high school track and field career with 9 individual state titles in various events. Each one has its own story that is extremely special to me.
If you could do it all again, what would you change? The one thing that I would change if I could do it all again would easily be to run cross country and indoor track my freshman year. I only did outdoor my freshman year and feel as though I lost two seasons by not competing in xc or indoor.
Most difficult obstacles: My most difficult obstacles in my track and xc career would be not having adequate coaching my freshman year. This caused me to learn events the wrong way and learn incorrect form. That made it hard to correct my form as I moved into my sophomore and junior year. My form dramatically improved from freshman year due to hard work and adequate coaching.
What will I miss the most? The thing that I will miss the most is spending time with my teammates and best friends. The hot summer runs, the long bus rides, the hangouts after meets are definitely things I will miss. I'm grateful that track has brought me so many great friends and memories. I'll also I wish my teammates and friends the best of luck in their future.
Advice for younger athletes: Advice that I would give to younger athletes is for athletes that specifically compete in many events. As someone that competed in the maximum number of events per meet, I often had to handle the stress of each event. My advice is to take one event at a time. Stay focused on the event that you are competing on and then at the conclusion of that event start focusing on the next one. This will allow you to do the best in each event and allow you to block out any event that you may not have done well in. That way you don't let one bad event affect the next one.
What influence have your coaches had: My coaches have definitely formed me into the athlete I am today. Their coaching allowed me to turn my incorrect form and below average times into correct form exceedingly good times. My coaches have shown me how to handle certain situations and have taught me so much about the sport of track and field. Without their coaching I would not be as successful as I am today.
College plans: My college plans consist of running track and field for the University of Maine. I am extremely excited for this next chapter in my life and I am excited to become teammates with some people that I once competed against in high school. I'm also excited for the new relationships that I will make with teammates that I've never competed against before. In addition to track, I will be studying business at the University of Maine and hope to eventually get my masters degree.
Thank yous: I of course want to thank my parents and my brother for always showing their love and support and sitting thought countless long meets and always cheering me on regardless of how the meet went. I also want to thank Braedon Kyle and Owen for being the best teammates and friends I could have ever wanted. The love and support you guys have gave me has helped made me into the athlete I am today and for that I am grateful for all three of you. I also wanna thank Maddie for being my number one fan and always reminding me when my ego has gotten a little too high. Lastly, I want to thank anyone who has ever supported me throughout my high school track career. I have so much love for all of you.
High School
| Outdoor | |
| High Jump | 6-0 |
| Javelin | 115-8 |
| Long Jump | 21-4.25 |
| Triple Jump | 42-6.5 |
| 110 Meter Hurdles | 14.53 |
| 200 Meter Dash | 23.63 |
| 300 Meter Hurdles | 40.33 |
| Indoor | |
| High Jump | 6-4 |
| Long Jump | 21-10.25 |
| Triple Jump | 43-2 |
| 55 Meter Hurdles | 7.82 |
| 60 Meter Hurdles | 8.66 |
| 60 Yard Dash | 8.10 |
| 200 Meter Dash | 23.27 |
| 300 Meter Dash | 37.28 |
| 400 Meter Dash | 56.42 |
Do you know a class of 2019 track and field or cross country athlete? We'd like to salute them! Have them answer the following questions plus send 2-3 photos (can not be from another website or publication) to dveilleux@milesplit.us
