Lakeridge High School cross country standout Noah Belcik verbally committed to the University of Idaho Friday morning.
“Being able to spend time with the team helped me to see what my life would be like as a Vandal,” Belcik said. “I liked what I saw. I have heard nothing but great things about the coaching staff and athletes, which also helped my decision.”
The high school standout said he was initially interested in attending Oregon, Baylor, San Francisco, Texas or Michigan. Belcik said he based his decision to attend Idaho on the relationship Director of Cross Country Tim Cawley had with his athletes.
“At Idaho I saw that the coaches truly cared about every athlete on their team,” Belcik said. “(Assistant) Coach Travis (Floeck), from what I have seen, does a great job at individually preparing his athletes to succeed. I also liked how tight knit the community and team was.”
Belcik competes in events ranging from the 800-meter dash to the 5k cross country. His personal best is a mark of 1:55.90 in the 800-meter event and 4:04.30 in the 1500-meter race as a junior.
“We are excited to have Noah be a part of the program,” said Tim Cawley, director of Cross Country at the university.
Belcik said will enter the University of Idaho as a business major.
“I hope to grow as an athlete as well as a student and put myself in the best position possible to succeed in life after college,” Belcik said. “The University of Idaho seems like the best place to help me grow.”
Cawley said one of Belcik’s strengths is his ability to compete in numerous events.
“The first thing that jumps out about Noah is his range,” Cawley said. “And when you add that to his toughness, it is an excellent recipe for success.”
Belcik finished seventh in the 800-meter as a junior competing in the Oregon State Championships and posted a personal best of 15:42 in 5,000 meters.
The Lakeridge recruit said he is looking forward to competing with the program next season.
“Looking at the current roster and the guys who have committed with me, I am extremely excited to see how competitive we can be,” he said. “(I) could not be more excited for next season in Idaho.”
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom
(Photo Courtesy by Idaho Media Relations)
Maria Belcik
Just to clarify: Noah was not recruited by the universities mentioned. Those are the schools that he was interested in possibly attending. The only schools that talked with Noah about running were Idaho and San Francisco.