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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Aug 10 2011 - 08:09:18 EDT
http://www.indystar.com/article/20110810/SPORTS02/108100324/North-Central-High-School-cross-country-Futsum-Zeinasellassie
North Central High School cross country Futsum Zeinasellassie North Central
senior Zeinasellassie doesn't dwell on his excellence
Aug 10, 2011
Despite being verbally poked and prodded for nearly 30 minutes during a
recent interview, North Central High School cross country and track star
Futsum Zeinasellassie wouldn't take the bait.
Given numerous opportunities to proclaim himself an elite athlete, a
dominant competitor and, at one point, possibly the greatest high school
distance runner in Indiana history, he instead took the high road again and
again and again. The humble young man from Eritrea -- a small country in
Africa -- continuously deflected attention from himself, giving much of the
credit to his family and North Central coaches and teammates.
"He's pretty laid-back," said North Central coach Rick Stover while cracking
a smile. "Times are not as important to him as winning the race and helping
his teammates. That's huge for him. If he gets a time in the process, he's
happy. But going into it, that's usually not his main goal."
Although Zeinasellassie doesn't hold state records in cross country or the
3,200 meters in track, people with extensive knowledge of the sports are
likely to include him in the conversation with the state's all-time best.
His total of five state championships in cross country and the 3,200 (which
has been held since 1980) equals the record of Portage's Jason Casiano (two
in the 3,200, three in cross country), set from 1989 to '91.
Zeinasellassie, a senior, is one "shoe incident" from going for his fourth
consecutive state title in cross country. He finished second to Fishers'
Drew Shields in 2008, recovering from an early accident during which he lost
a shoe, and he cruised to state titles as a sophomore and junior.
He set the North Central cross country record in November 2010 at 14
minutes, 47 seconds at a national meet in Wisconsin, breaking the mark he
set as a freshman.
In track, he won his third straight state championship last spring in the
3,200, setting a North Central program record in 8:56.73. He nearly broke
the state record of 8:55.92 set in 2003 by Columbus North's Christian
Wagner.
Add numerous impressive performances at national meets -- including last
year's runner-up finish at the Foot Locker Cross Country National Finals --
and it would be hard not to consider Zeinasellassie an Indiana legend.
But don't tell that to him.
"I can't say I'm the greatest. To me, I'm not," he said. "There are runners
that did great things. People will judge me by how much I did in high
school. That's for them to judge. That's not something I would tell people
to say."
One thing is fairly certain: Zeinasellassie has plenty of running ahead. A
top national recruit, he has yet to make an official visit to a college
campus. Zeinasellassie has received letters of interest from more than 100
cross country and track programs.
"College is a whole different place, a different world," he said. "It's a
difficult choice. I'm looking around and trying to find the people I like.
I'm trying to find people in college like I have here (at North Central)."
The Panthers, who figure to be one of the state's top teams, begin the
regular season Aug. 20 at the Carmel Distance Medley at Northview Christian
Life Church.
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