Question; who is he? Answer; his name is Joshua English.
What is he? I am not sure. My best answer is that he is a project, or at least his senior year is a project.
Sophomore year, English played a big part in the 2018 UIL 6A team state cross country championship for The Woodlands; it was the Highlanders' fifth consecutive title. So, with that, he must be a distance runner, right? Later that spring, he would run 1:54.82 in the 800m and later on qualify for the Region 2-6A Meet finals. A super slow first lap pace and horrible luck halfway through the race would result in a 2:21.43 last place finish and end his state meet qualifying attempt.
Over the next two years, English would go on to excel in cross country going on to run a 15:49 5K PR, but COVID would take his junior track season and his chance to make up for an unfortunate race the previous year.
Today, he is now an Oklahoma State University commit with graduation and college right around the corner. But, English's senior track season has been anything but typical. Yet it has been more of a projection of what type of versatile runner he truly is.
Every runner has what is thought to be their primary event or best race; every primary event needs complimentary events to make the athlete improve in their primary event. For English, he was figured to be good enough in cross country to compete on one of the best teams in the nation, but he still had the speed to be an effective half miler.
This year, all The Woodlands star has done is add one PR race after another . . . in different events.
English began his season on February 27th with a 1,600m race that produced his first PR at 4:19.57; then March 6th, he ran a 1:52.23 PR in the 800m that ranks him No. 4 nationally.
The PR trend continued on March 11th in the 400m, another complimentary event to his thought to be primary event the 800m. After achieving another personal record, it shows that he will be a force throughout the rest of the UIL track and field season. His 47.55 was not only a PR, but it was a win over one of the top sprinters nationally and now ranks him as the No. 3 400m runner in the nation.
Add his PRs from the 3 mile (15:36.07) and 4K (12:12.01) distances from the cross country season and English has PRed in five different events this season with no more than two races at each distance.
Now to English and The Woodlands coaching staff, this may not be a project season of putting him in various events, but because of his performances, I'm calling it Project PR.
