Johnny Scalia, a runner on the boys cross country and track team, announced his commitment to Rutgers University on Monday.
Scalia has been running since he was in kindergarden. Now, he primarily runs the 800 meters, but his favorite event is the 400. “I love running the 400 because I can get angry and sprint as fast as I can,” he said. “It feels good and is super rewarding.” Scalia also hopes to branch out this upcoming spring season and run the mile.
Scalia will be joining the Scarlet Knights in the fall of 2023. Last outdoor track season, Rutgers tied for 10th place with Michigan State in the Big Ten Track and Field Championships. Rutgers is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and joined the Big Ten in 2014. Scalia said, “Being a Big Ten school, the most competitive college athletic conference in the world drew me to Rutgers.” The team will look to encourage success with the help of Scalia.
[For a look at all committed WHS athletes, check out the Commitment List]Scalia also looked at many other competitive schools such as Cornell, Lehigh, TCNJ and Colgate. But to him, the decision of choosing to go to Rutgers was simple. “I really wanted to go to a school where I could thrive academically and then athletically,” he said. “It was hard to find the perfect balance between a team I vibed with and great academics, and Rutgers really fit that bill.”
What really put Rutgers over the top for Scalia was the feeling of home. “Both my parents graduated from Rutgers in the ’90s, and my two older brothers went to Rutgers for undergraduate and are going back for a masters in engineering and med school, so my blood bleeds scarlet,” he said. In addition to that, he loved the facilities and felt proud that he will be able to give back to his state school, his home.
Scalia has one season left with the Blue Devils, in the spring, where he will look to switch it up and try running the mile and continuing the great success Westfield’s boys track and cross country team has had.
