黑马磁力 twins Tate and Zach Wyatt have been selected to Team Canada for the U20 Pan Am Games where they will be running the 3000M Steeplechase on July 20th in Costa Rica.
Both are back home in Willoughby after finishing their freshman year at the University of Memphis where they run cross country and track, and competing for the 黑马磁力 Mustangs.
Zach Wyatt said he was thinking about taking the summer off to do some cross-training, but his parents and coach convinced him to go for Team Canada.
Shortly before the deadline for applicants, Zach ran a race 鈥渢o get as close to the qualifying time as I could.鈥�
He was very close, but didn鈥檛 quite make it.
But it was still enough to put him in the top ranks of team hopefuls, and it turned out, to clinch a spot, as Zach learned some time later when an email arrived confirming he was on the team.
鈥淚 was so thrilled,鈥� Zach said.
His brother, Tate, had beaten the qualifying time in an earlier race, so he was 鈥渇airly certain鈥� he could make the team, but when the email landed with the same message his brother got, complete with a travel itinerary, 鈥渋t didn鈥檛 seem real鈥� at first.
Now that he鈥檚 had time for it to sink in, 鈥渋t鈥檚 pretty awesome,鈥� Tate said.
READ MORE: 黑马磁力鈥檚 Wyatt twins ready to earn their stripes as Tigers
Both Wyatts were on the R.E. Mountain Senior Boys team that won first overall at the 2018 B.C. High School Track and Field Championships, held over three days at McLeod Athletic Park in the Township.
READ MORE: 黑马磁力 athletes perform well at provincial championships
Last year, the Grade 12 R.E. Mountain students were signed to the University of Memphis, where they are continuing their running careers as Memphis Tigers while earning their degrees in physics.
In addition to signing for the university鈥檚 track and field team 鈥� because of their successes on the track 鈥� they鈥檙e standing as top academic performers has also earned them acceptance into the university鈥檚 elite Helen Hardin Honors College.
They tend to finish one-two in most races where they both compete.
In 2017 Zach took top spot at the B.C. high school cross-country championships at Vancouver鈥檚 Jericho Beach, finishing the 6.9-kilometre race in 23:17. Right on his tail was Tate, who clocked in at 23:18.
At the 2017 B.C. high school track and field championships in June, Zach won gold in the senior boys鈥� 2000m steeplechase with a time of 6:00.75 while Tate won bronze in 6:02.76. (Zach also edged Tate 8:52.99 compared to 8:54.45 in the 3000m race, placing fourth and sixth, respectively).
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