Enka senior Sage Turner has signed to run college cross country and track for UNC Asheville.
CANDLER – Tapping into his full potential as a distance runner sounds like a worthy goal for Enka senior Sage Turner.
He is planning to do just that the next four years at UNC Asheville.
Turner signed to run cross country and track for the Bulldogs on Wednesday morning inside the Jets’ media center.
A big crowd was on hand to support an endurance athlete who is a former Buncombe County and Mountain Athletic Conference cross country champion, but was also adept enough at basketball to lead the Jets in scoring (14.7 points per game) last winter.
Enka senior Sage Turner has committed to run cross country and track for UNC Asheville.
“I like the way that (the Bulldogs) train,” Turner said.
“They build athletes and not just runners. I’m definitely excited about being part of a Division I program and finding out what I can do.”
Turner’s final meet for the Jets is Friday’s NCHSAA 3-A outdoor track competition in Greensboro.
He was the runner-up in the 800-meter run and 1,600-meter run at Saturday’s 3-A Western Regional track meet hosted by Reynolds. Turner logged a personal-record time in the 800 (2 minutes, 1.51 seconds) and ran 4:29.73 in the 1,600.
Tuner’s entire 2015 cross country season was wiped out by a foot injury. But as a junior, he won Buncombe and MAC individual championships. His personal-best time for a 5-kilometer (3.1 miles) race is 16:35.25.
Enka athletic director/basketball coach Brian Carver told everyone gathered for Wednesday’s signing that it was a little personal for him, as he and the Turner family live in the same neighborhood. Carver said he knew that Turner’s heart was ultimately more in running than anything else.
“I’m going to miss basketball a lot,” Turner said.
“I can remember everyone getting really emotional before our last basketball game. It hasn’t been that way with track yet for me. I’m ready for the future.”
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