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Luke Wagner of St. Ignatius battling with Kyle Mau of Hudson at the finish of the boys 2014 D1 OHSAA State Meet.
St. Ignatius Sr. Luke Wagner was 5th in the D1 boys race last year with a 15:44.45. Based upon last year's times, he is atop the poll of D1 boy returners with a 15:28.12, run at Tiffin. He also has a 4:13.64 1600 to his credit and is ranked OH #1 in the 1600 at this time. He has been to National Trails as a Freshman, Sophomore and as a Junior: in 2012 he was 56th with a 16:12.43, in 2013 he was 79th with a 16:40.44 and in 2014 he was 5th. He has the talent and the speed to once again be on the podium in November and just may win it all.
Best time in a 5K race and in which meet:
15:28 at the Tiffin Carnival last year.
Tell us how your summer training is going?
I am just starting back up because I ran at New Balance Nationals but it is going well so far.
What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Win state as a team and as an individual. We would also like to make NXN as a team.
How long have you been running and how did you get started?
I transferred schools in 2nd grade and my mom wanted little Lukey to make some friends so she signed me up.
Will you be competing anywhere out of state this season?
Yes, we will be running at the Trinity Invitational in Kentucky which is In September. We’re gonna go to NXR and Footlocker Midwest as well.
What is your favorite course to run in Ohio?
Tiffin because it has a great atmosphere. It almost feels like a state meet and you see some great runners and teams there.
What is the toughest course to run in Ohio?
I’d have to go with Tiffin, its fast but there is a hill with about half a mile to go and it is pretty hard.
What meet during the regular season do you put extra emphasize on to compete well at?
This year most likely Tiffin and Trinity. Trinity will have a lot of competition and we’ll see a lot of teams that we’ll run against at NXR later in the year so it should be good.
What is your favorite cross country race so far in your high school career?
Definitely junior year at the Tiffin carnival. I ran a PR and we beat the two time defending state champs St Xavier in a tiebreaker.
Favorite cross country memory?
At the NEO XC camp last year, a bunch of schools rioted our house. It got rowdy. Also, big S/O to my homie Ted Rupe, can’t wait for Camp this year. It’s one of the best weeks of the year. We’re bringing a volleyball ‘ship back to Cleveland this year too.
When you are not running what is your favorite thing to do?
Since I’ve been working at a camp for kids this summer, I’ve been playing with Lego’s a lot and I’ve gotten pretty good at building things. Just a big heads up Ryan Adams, I will take you down in a Lego competition.
Favorite quote?
Coincidentally, this is actually my quote “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
What shoes do you train in?
Nike Structure 18
What shoes do you race in?
Nike Victories
What's on your Ipod when you go out for runs? I usually don’t listen to music when I run. Instead, I just sing to myself. If you ever need music feel free to hit me up, some say I’m the songbird of our generation and others have said my voice sounds like the combination of Fergie and Jesus. Check out my soundcloud if you don’t believe them.
What professional athlete would you most like to meet? I’m a huge NASCAR guy, so I’d have to go with either Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Tony Stewart. It would be real cool to grab some sushi with those guys some time. If I had to pick one though, I’d go with Dale Jr. just because of his incredible story. He’s a great racer and I’m pulling for him in the Sprint Cup Series this year.
What is something that most people don't know about you? I love to LARP (Live Action Role Play). You can catch me at any local park on the weekends LARP’ing away. I just got a new sword and cape for Christmas this year so I’ve been breaking those in all summer. It’s a blast. Go Cats!!
