Ellis is making the grade in college

Austin Ellis, a former runner at The Covenant School, knows what it takes to perform well on the toughest of stages.

After all, the 2008 Covenant graduate is a four-time cross country state champion as an individual, winning two as a team with the Eagles.

On Nov. 19, Milligan College’s [Tennessee] cross country program produced a historic effort at the 2011 NAIA Cross Country National Championships, with the former Eagle athlete leading the way.

Ellis — and three of his teammates — all had unforgettable days.

"All four of us performed really well," Ellis said. "We all had personal bests, and pretty big ones, too.

"We were all really happy with how we ran. It was a blast. I don’t think the weekend could have gotten any better."

A senior, Ellis ran to All-American honors in Vancouver, Wash., recorded the highest ever finish for a Buffalo, finishing ninth in the 8k race with a time of 24:17 and breaking his personal record by 35 seconds.

"I’m real pleased with it," Ellis said. "I honestly didn’t think I was going to be able to beat it. It’s not the best course to run a personal best. It’s sloppy and muddy. I wasn’t expecting it at all. We have been working hard this whole season. I guess it’s just a culmination of all of the hard work. Coach has been coaching us to peak at the right time, and that showed on Saturday."

It took until the end of the race for him to find out just how well he did.

"I should have known during it," Ellis said. "After mile two, I didn’t realize where I was. When I finished, I turned around and looked at the clock, I was blown away. I barely edged another guy from my conference, and I had to ask him if that [the time] was real."

His high school coach, Charlie Souter, expects this type of success from his former star athlete.

"Not surprising at all," the retired coach said. "He was always dedicated in the sport. He is very sincere about trying to get better. He is a wonderful teammate and a wonderful kid."

His current coach was just as proud.

"Austin followed the plan to a T, they all did, and he just kept the hammer down the entire race," Milligan head coach Chris Layne said in a press release. "It was very exciting."

Now, the All-American, who won the region and was second in conference, will look to earn the same honors in indoor track, starting in early December, while training for a local marathon. He has come to the realization that his cross country collegiate career is now over.

"I’ve really enjoyed my college career," Ellis said. "Each year has built on the last and this final race feels like the perfect way to finish off my cross country career."

Ellis, aside from family support, credits his coaches for where he is today.

"Covenant laid a really good foundation for where I am at now," Ellis said. "My time at Covenant was great. It definitely gave me the love for running that made me want to continue. When I got to college, my college coaches took it to another level."

So did Ellis.