Do You Know Who Wells Peterson Is?

If I'm being honest, I am looking forward to seeing two young men compete specifically this fall. There are so many interesting student-athletes and plenty of talented girls and boys that it sometimes gets hard to get excited just for a few athletes. However, that is how the start of this season is going to be for me.

Yes, I want to see Caden Leonard, Ruel Newberry, Noah Strohman, and others, but the two guys who will have my attention aren't even in the UIL.

One of them is Wells Peterson of San Antonio TMI Episcopal.

Peterson hit my radar during his sophomore cross country season as he was on the same TMI team with teammates Marcelo Parra and Franco Parra who are now at Princeton.

Peterson had the quiet confidence that he was training with some very talented teammates who was going to take him to challenging places in training and competition. Well, the Parra twins graduated later that year, but Peterson has more than taken the mantle and run with it.

The day I'm referring to where he really made an impression on me was at a September 30th race at the Leo Manzano Marble Falls Mustang XC Invitational. At about 6'3, he ran 16:00, making it hard to both miss him and deny his potential. Peterson went on to finish sixth at the TAPPS Cross County State Championships that year and then ran 4:22 and 9:20 on the track.

His junior season, this past year, was his first training without the Parra twins, Peterson only managed to equal his 16:00 personal best during the cross country season. He did however win the TAPPS state meet.

The track season is where he came into his own. The gentle giant again added TAPPS wins in the 1,600m and 3,200m. However he achieved so much more with his times.

In the 1,600m Peterson ran 4:15 to win at TAPPS, but he added two 4:14s over the full mile against national level talent. He ran 4:14.08 at the RunningLane Track Championships and then 4:14.83 at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor.

He used an impressive 9:08.80 win at TAPPS in the 3,200m and then ran 9:01.70 at RunningLane after dropping seven laps of sub nine-minute pace all by himself.

Peterson's best races in the spring were at TAPPS meets or national events, leaving so many Texans possibly unaware of who he is.

From my observations, he is a towering and statuesque runner who isn't afraid to run out front. With long powerful strides, he will challenge the clock even if he has to do it on his own.

If Peterson can transition the track success to the grass this fall, I think he'll be a household name in Texas this fall.

Wells Peterson's MileSplit Athlete Profile