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Rhode Island Mile Split got the chance to do a Q &A with one of the country's best track athletes. Mike Marsella, a senior at Chariho High School in Rhode Island has one of the best stat sheets of any high school distance runner in the nation. The Chariho senior led his cross country team in the Fall of 2011 to a second place finish at the Rhode Island State XC Championships. Marsella has competed in some of the most prestigious Cross Country and Track Meets there is.
Last Spring season, Marsella was Rhode Island State Champion for eight hundred meters and took seventh place in the mile at New Balance Outdoor Nationals.
In the Fall, Marsella earned a trip to Nike Cross Nationals by taking fourth place at the Nike Northeast Regional Quailifier. At NXN finals the Chariho star finished 19th overall.
Indoors, the accolades did not stop coming for Marsella. Marsella came in second place in the mile at both the Millrose and the New Balance Games. He went on to be the Rhode Island State Champion for three thousand meters. Following his state championship, Marsella took first place at the New England Championships. As if State and New England Championships weren't enough, Marsella then went to the New Balance Indoor Nationals where he anchored the Chariho relay team to a national record in the four by mile. The other members of Chariho's National Record setting relay team include Jake Kilcoyne, Dan Kilcoyne, and Bryce Kelley. Mike Marsella also took seventh place in the individual mile championships. Marsella will look to continue his dominance on the track this outdoor season.
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Q & A w/ Mike Marsella Chariho H.S.
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MilesplitRi :What is your favorite accomplishment in track or xc and why?
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Marsella- My favorite accomplishment in track has been by far setting the national record indoors in the 4x1mile. It was such an adrenaline rush to cross the finish line and have 3 of your teammates there to celebrate not only a national championship but a national record.
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MilesplitRi : Will you be running in college next year? If yes, where?
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Marsella-Yeah I will be running Cross Country and Track next year at the University of Virginia.
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MilesplitRi : Who is your favorite professional track athlete?
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My favorite professional track athlete has to be Bernard Lagat. Just the intensity and personality he brings to races even at the age he is right now is really incredible.
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MilesplitRi :.What is your favorite track event? And why?
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Marsella:- My favorite track event is the mile. It is a perfect balance of speed, endurance and strategy. Every mile I have run in high school I have learned from mistakes I've made so hopefully in college I'll be able to perfect it.
MilesplitRi : Do you have any big goals for this years spring track season?
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Marsella-The biggest goal is to break the outdoor 4x1mile relay record of 17:06.6. I feel as though this is a once in a lifetime chance to have such a strong relay team so I'll be sacrificing a lot of individual races to get the opportunity to run some fast relays.
MilesplitRi : Finally, do you prefer track or cross country?
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Marsella-Both are each fun in different ways. I love Cross because its the truest form of racing. Time and splits are basically irrelevant, its all about beating the guy next to you. At the same time track is fast and extremely competitive. also you can compare your times to see where you rank in the country for each event.
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