Lake Wales Senior Andy Denton Following Former Teammates To Florida State

By Todd Grasley for DyeStat

Lake Wales senior Andy Denton, who owns Florida’s fastest 5,000 meters time this season, has announced his decision to run for Florida State. Denton's 14:57.3 from the Great American XC  Festival in North Carolina, is the only sub-15 minute time in the state this fall.

Denton picked the Seminoles over finalists University of North Florida, Liberty and Syracuse.

“It was definitely a slow start to the season, but I’ve been very blessed as of late with my strength,” Denton said. “I had county the same weekend as Pre-State so I couldn’t make it, but my training is going very well.”

COLLEGE CHOICES

In Tallahassee, Denton will join a familiar face, former teammate and good friend Paul Stafford. It was actually Stafford who initially persuaded Denton to join the Lake Wales High track and field team as a freshman.

“He didn’t run cross country his freshman year,” Lake Wales coach A.J. Richmond said. “Paul went and pulled him out of class and brought him to me. We heard he was a good 800-meter runner in middle school, but he was very raw and undertrained.”

Stafford and Richmond asked him to come out to the track one day after school. They watched him run as hard as he could for a few laps. Richmond was impressed enough by Denton’s ability and felt confident he would be an excellent No. 2 runner behind Stafford if he agreed to join the team.

“His first week of track practice I did a short tempo run with him and he split an 18:40 through 5K and he negative split the workout without even really knowing what he was doing,” Richmond explained.  “I knew then I had something very special, assuming he would work hard and commit to the grind of what it would take to fulfill his potential.”

Steadfast Progression

Denton averaged around 17 minutes in his sophomore races and dropped his times to the mid 16s as a junior. Last spring on the track he had a breakout season with a 9:11 3,200-meter race at FSU Relays, closing his final 400 in 61 seconds. At the state meet, he split a 1:56 in the 4x800 to lead his team to a state title, just 12 hours after finishing runner-up in the 3,200 meters. 

“Those three moments I think really gave him the confidence that he had the ability to be a championship-caliber runner,” Richmond noted.  “Something I personally always believed he was capable of from a pure talent standpoint.”  

A minor Achilles' tendon injury in the summer caused him to miss a few weeks and got Denton’s senior cross country season off to a slow start. After de-emphasizing the early-season meets, Denton ran a personal best time at Great American, where he placed third in the Race of Champions. He believed could run that time and race well, but the key was to focus and not get distracted. 

His coach believed in him as well. Richmond knew what type of performance he was capable of and the training that took place in the summer months. The sub-15 time opened some eyes.

“His breakthrough at Great American and overall growth is the product of the last three years of consistent year-round training that he's put together,” he said. “North Carolina was the first race all season we didn't train straight through and we finally had good weather.”

Postseason Objectives

Denton and Richmond know that the season isn’t decided in September or October, but rather at the state meet and the postseason that follows in November and December with Foot Locker and NXN.

“He and I collaborated on what we wanted to focus on this season and we both agreed to sacrifice the big races and fast times in September and October for the ones in November and December,” Richmond said. “Andy is a big believer in having his absolute best performances on the biggest stages and moments.”

Denton wasn’t shy about his goals for the state final, where he finished seventh last season

“The main goal is to win, but if I can pull down a great time in the process I would like that,” he said.

Only Tallahassee native Sukhi Khosla has broken 15 minutes at Apalachee Regional Park and that was at the FSU Invitational (Pre-State). The best high school time on the state finals course was Khosla’s 15:01.80 in 2014.

“His goal has always been to win a state title and that's the goal for Tally, nothing less or more,” Richmond said.  “Which postseason race he does will depend on our finish as a team at state. The goal for post-season is to improve upon whatever performance he lays down in Tallahassee. We just want to continue the progression from here on out.”

Seminole Support

One person that will be cheering him on along the way is Stafford, who next year at this time could be on the starting line again with his former teammate. The pair are great friends and Richmond notes that even more important than their talent in the sport, is the fact that they are high quality people.

“They are two guys you would be proud to call your own sons,” he said. “Paul was definitely an important mentor for Andy his first year as a runner and showed him what a true work ethic is and how to go after your goals with everything you have. I would say their maturity is the biggest thing they have in common.”

As he transitions to the next level, Denton will rely on Stafford much as he did during his time at Lake Wales.

“I learned a lot of humility from Paul and also the importance of fostering a relationship with my teammates and can’t wait to bring those qualities to FSU,” he said