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AYER — Cole New was in eighth grade when he joined the Ayer-Shirley boys’ outdoor track and field team at the urging of good friend Patrick Bergin.
Whether the race was 400 or 800 meters in length mattered not. Same goes for his attempts at high jumping and long jumping.
“I was bad,” New, now a senior, said April 24 from the sun-splashed plaza of the Harold G. Norton Athletic Complex.
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Still, despite lacking a critical component — that being speed — in a sport that puts a premium on going fast, New returned a year later and had a “solid” freshman season outdoors after joining the cross-country team in the fall to improve his endurance.
New also played junior varsity basketball as a freshman before — here we go again — he was encouraged by Bergin to switch to indoor track as a sophomore.
“That’s when I started to really see improvement, when I was running for three seasons,” New said.
And, with that, he was off and running.
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New is now a five-time captain, T&G Super Team selection, school record-holder, and national championship qualifier who will continue his running career at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
So, looking back, why stick with it?
“The coaches,” New said without hesitation. “They’re big motivators. ... And my parents (Michael and Jennifer). They haven’t missed a meet since my freshman year, so they’ve been there for me.”
The 6-foot-2, 160-pound New, who resides in Ayer and turns 18 on May 1, had a breakout season in indoor track as a junior. Among his many highlights was placing second in the 600-meter run at the New England championships in a then personal-record time of 1 minute, 21.66 seconds.
Not long after, New injured the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee playing pickup basketball. No surgery was needed, just rest and physical therapy during a stop-start-stop recovery process that lasted from March through June.
New ran a couple of races last spring, but wasn’t close to 100% physically. He was, however, 100% vested as a leader.
“A lot of kids would have shut down, but he was there every single day,” Panthers coach Chris Donovan said. “He was out with the coaches asking, ‘What can I do to help.’
“Whenever he wasn’t rehabbing, he was doing anything we needed in terms of getting kids ready for the meets and to me, more importantly, getting younger kids ready just for dual meets.”
As for the college recruiters, well, they were dialed out.
“After I told them I got injured they were like, ‘We’re good. We’re all set,’ ” New said. “Everyone was kind of freaking out, but my coaches were really good.
“They were like, ‘We’re going to train you all summer, and then we’re going to peak you for a meet in December,’ so I could get a good time and get recruited (again).”
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The trio of Donovan, boys’ assistant Andrew St. Germain and girls’ coach Michael Seguin, who oversees middle-distance workouts for both teams, did just that.
On Dec. 7, New stepped to the starting line at the Track at New Balance in Boston and four laps later finished second in the 800 at the Early Bird Invite, a race that was loaded with collegians.
His time of 1 minute, 56.83 seconds was a personal record by 10 seconds and, for a spell, the fastest in the country.
“Then I contacted all the colleges back,” New said. “A bunch of people reached out, including UNC-Wilmington, which offered me. It was a pretty quick process with them.”
New, who also drew interest — although not necessarily offers — from a half dozen New England schools, bonded with the UNCW coaches, loved the coastal campus and was all in on the weather, which is more conducive toward training outside year-round.
He committed Dec. 30.
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“I made a good decision,” said New, who has a 3.98 grade point average and plans to major in business. “It’s a super nice (situation).”
New went on to place fifth in the 600 at the New Englands and compete in 400 and 800 at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in March.
He’s off to a fast start this spring, covering the 400 in 50.08 seconds and the 800 in 1:57.01. Both times currently rank eighth in the state.
“I’ve been having a lot of good workouts, so I’m excited,” said New, whose goals are to take gold in the 800 at the Meet of Champions and help the Panthers top the team table at the Central Mass. Division 2 and Division 6 relay and state championships.
—If you know a student-athlete who should be considered for a Scholastic Spotlight profile, contact Rich Garven at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarvenTG.
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New's take on life
Here are a few lighthearted and insightful thoughts from Cole New as he waits to step to the starting line for his next race:
∎ Favorite food: Steak
∎ Favorite restaurant: “Piccolino’s in Shirley.”
∎ Favorite ice cream: Black Raspberry
∎ Favorite musician/band: Zach Bryan
∎ Favorite sports team/athlete: New England Patriots and Tom Brady
∎ Favorite holiday: “Has to be Christmas. Get the gifts.”
∎ Favorite subject: Gym
∎ Favorite TV show: “Outer Banks”
∎ Sports superstition: “Meditate the night before every meet.”
∎ Most memorable moment: “I would say my first race back from injury, when I ran that 1:56 (in the 800 in December). That was pretty special.”
∎ Invite any three people to dinner: “I’m inviting (classmate) J.T. Bresnahan because he’s my best friend. Rob Gronkowski because that’s me and J.T.’s favorite player. And (comedian) Shane Gillis to make us all laugh. And we’re going to Piccolino’s down in Shirley. J.T.'s dad owns it, so we’re getting free food, as well.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Senior track standout Cole New has picked up pace at Ayer-Shirley
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