If you were to call him a diamond in the rough, you’d be doing an injustice to the name Sebastian Hernandez.
As a freshman, Hernandez finished 2nd in the team at the NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships (placing 7th overall) last year, and this year he’s ready to break personal records and find himself standing at the top.
With how he leads the team, one might assume that Hernandez was a highly sought-after recruit out of high school. That’s far from the truth. “You know. I wasn’t [fast] in the grand scheme of things. I was fast for my area. But I will say in hindsight, I would not have been ready for university out of high school. I had my issues.”
Hernandez struggled academically in his first couple of years in high school, not taking it as seriously as he should have. However, he’s taking college academics much more seriously. “This term, which I’ve been doing well so far, is showing that if I can handle [the workload] here, I’ll be able to handle it at university,” Hernandez said.
When he got the call from Coach Judy Wilson, Hernandez was more than excited to come to Daytona, and to join a team that he felt would push him, athletically.
Hernandez said, “My senior year in high school, I felt that the majority of my teammates were not as serious as I was, and I was just so excited to be with other guys who took up running at the collegiate level,” he continued, “These guys are serious enough to make the sacrifices necessary, especially when it matters more in college than it did in high school.”
Sebastian’s motivation goes much further than just on the field. “I’m starting to develop better habits as a student and I’m starting to feel a lot more confident in my own skin. I feel like I’m taking academics more seriously than I have since middle school. I’m more focused.” Sebastian’s belief of doing better outside of sports helping him to do better on the field might be true, as his times improve with each race he runs.
Finishing 11th at the FSU invitational (against higher division runners), with a personal record of 24 minutes and 42.2 seconds, Hernandez can attribute a lot of his growth to his coach. Noting her patience and willingness to learn, he feels the drive and support from her to do better. “I appreciate that she was willing to take a chance on me. And for that, I gave her everything I have,” Hernandez said.
As a resident of the newly built dorms at DSC, he’s found himself bonding more with his teammates, pushing him to do better overall. He said, “I consider us all really close and it’s awesome. It’s exactly what I was looking for from a team following high school. I wanted to be in a scene that was motivated.”
Sebastian, after breaking a personal record at the FSU meet, took a backseat during the USF cross country meet, supporting his teammate Christian Roccou who placed first in the event. With players getting better each meet, the team aspires for a championship this upcoming November.
With Hernandez’s stats on the field and his work ethic off the field, he’s motivated and ready for the next thing. “I want to go big. You know, I’ve been working hard here, and I want the fruits of my labor.” He continued, “I’d be appreciative and thankful of whatever program to take me in. But ultimately, I want to be somewhere and run for a program that I would really be proud of.”
Will Martinez
Staff writer