Uxbridge's Aidan Ross reflects on journey around local running scene on way to Wake Forest

UXBRIDGE — Self-motivation forever has been a key to shining success, whether in the classroom or on the track.

Such a statement may have a too-commonplace cliché aspect to it, but when discussing early-rising Uxbridge High senior Aidan Ross, his drive to thrive indeed is special.

"I've got the itch to run," said the Spartans captain and multiple Telegram & Gazette Super Teamer, who's heading in the fall to Wake Forest, where he very well could continue his daily routine of a quick run before the sun rises.

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"Wake up at 4:35, out there by 5, run 3 or 4 miles, have breakfast, do some pushups, go to school," said Ross, who guesses he's into this regimen more than 50 percent of the time.

"I don't need anyone to wake me up to do that," the youngest child of Sharon and Bob Ross said. "My parents are still sleeping when I get up, and sometimes I wake them up."

So it's little wonder how Aidan Ross was a highly sought-after talent by Power 5 universities before committing to the Demon Deacons last July. He won his second consecutive Division 3 state cross-country title last fall, and his track times have continued to fall since replacing baseball and basketball with running in eighth grade. Next week, he hopes to break 9 minutes in the 2 mile.

'Aidan just kept on running'

One huge indicator that Ross was a star on the rise came during that eighth grade, his first year at Uxbridge High. During indoor track that winter, he clocked a 5:13 in the mile, a fine time for most 14-year-olds. That following spring, he lowered his best remarkably to 4:43.

Uxbridge track coach Dave Halacy has known Ross "since he was in a stroller," and acknowledges he's had prime vantage points for the captain's progress.

"I'm blessed," he says. "You spend years coaching and say every once in a while, you get somebody that comes along the way and go how lucky you are to have that person for the length of the time you have them, when are they are at the peak of their abilities and then say, OK, they're going to go on to bigger and better things and how much better are they going to get."

"But to get to know them at the beginning, someone who was in the eighth grade and watch them grow and develop all the way to senior year in high school. It's amazing."

Ross, who stands 6 feet and about 145 pounds, has put in the hard work for Halacy and recently retired coach Walter Berkowicz while donning the orange and black.

"Two coaches, one athlete, and five years of lots of fun stuff along the way," said Halacy, who marveled at Ross' 30-second drop in his mile time, in the matter of just an April thaw.

"At that point, I was looking to see where this was going to go in the next few years," the coach said. "A lot of kids lost time due to COVID, but Aidan just kept on running."

As a sophomore, without a preceding cross-country or indoor track season because of the pandemic, Ross placed second in the mile at 2021 All-States, in 4:18.

After a summer of heavy mileage, Ross was ready to dominated in cross-country as a junior. Whether it be at Wrentham or Devens, he fashioned back-to-back SWCL and Division 3 state titles, with Northbridge rival Marcus Reilly runner-up in all. Ross finished his high school cross-country career with 18 course-record performances, on home layouts and state championship courses alike.

"It was astounding in the fall to see what Aidan was able to do," Halacy said.

Ross notes he has struggled since the fall, bothered by various ailments including hip issues, but offers no excuses. "I've been struggling a lot racing this past year," he said.

Last Friday, Ross had hoped to break 4:10, his personal best, in the BSR Elite Scholastic Mile at the Marshfield High. Instead, he finished 12th in 4:20.51.

"It was tough to handle, and I've had a lot of races like that this year," he said. "I want to finish strong for sure."

After a couple of fine workouts recently, Ross feels he's ready for a strong finish. "I was doing eight mile tempos in 5:15 (per mile)," he said.

Primed for fine finish

A strong finish for Ross — and Uxbridge — could well begin with Wednesday's SWCL League meet at Oxford High. He bypassed Saturday's District E meet.

"It's your team right now," Halacy said to Ross, "and let's see where this takes you in the next couple of weeks."

"This year it would be the 2 mile," Ross said of the event he feels could bring him the most success from here on. "I think it's going to come along well over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully next Wednesday, I'll take a good crack at breaking 9 minutes — I really think I can do it — but I'm not going to be too worked up about it."

Ross, whose best in the event is 9:16 indoors, said he may also run the 800 that day. "I'd like to be able to break 2 (minutes)," said Ross, whose best in the distance is 1:55 in a sprint medley relay leg.

After the SWCL comes the Division 6 state meet, on May 25 and 27 at Westfield State. Ross expects to competed in the 800 and mile, as well as the 2 mile.

"Our big goal is divisionals," Ross said. "We're deeper that we have been, and we have a lot of guys up front for the first time in a while. The reason I'm doing the triple is that I want to go out and score 30 points for our team, and Cam Caso can probably get 20 by himself. That's like 50 points before we go to our third or fourth best runner."

At the Meet of Champions the following week at Fitchburg State, he hopes he can double up, with the 2 mile and one of the other two. "But I'm not going to do the double if I don't think I can be competitive in the other event."

Concentrating on the 2 mile also is preparing Ross for what lies ahead in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Looking ahead

Last year, Ross ran his 4:10 mile in the Miles and Trials event in New York.

He'd still like to better that 4:10 this season. "I dreamed of breaking 4 in high school, but that doesn't look as doable right now," Ross said.

"For me, it's more about the future," he added. "I want to keep enjoying this last season of high school and really focus on what happens the next four years at Wake Forest. I'm excited about the opportunities to meet new people and hopefully to win an NCAA championship in cross-country, and not just one, hopefully more than just one."

Ross sees himself following his freshman cross-country season running in the 3,000 and 5,000 indoors, with 5,000 outdoors while working his way up to the 10,000.

"Those will probably be my real events, and I'll probably transition to the roads, because I feel I'm really strong on the roads."

Ross plans to study business, kinesiology, sports sciences or physical therapy at Wake Forest, where he first visited in January 2022, on an unofficial visit. "I visited all of the North Carolina schools — Duke, UNC, North Carolina State and Wake, and Wake was far and away my favorite, and it was my parents' favorite as well."

And if anyone is thinking he'll be merely basking in ACC glory, think again.

"At Duke, they took us to see a basketball game," he said. "Like, I'm not here to play basketball. I'm here to win some races."

Whole lot of talent in area

Ross and Northbridge's Reilly have struck a fine friendship through their rivalry and all, and the two have enjoyed training runs together. Ross even made his pitch to Reilly, a junior, before the latter recently committed to the University of Michigan for the fall of 2024.

"I was really trying to talk him into going to Wake," Ross said. "He has every option in the world, to go to one of the better 800-meter and middle distance schools. I think he's the most talented junior in the country."

"They have so much respect for each other," Halacy said.

"Just think," the coach added, "in this little small enclave in the state of Massachusetts, he's running for us, Marcus is running over in Northbridge, there's also Sydney Masciarelli (two-time FootLocker national champ now at North Carolina) from Northbridge, Colin Caso (Uxbridge grad now at Oklahoma), and not to be outdone, Madelyn Germain (Uxbridge resident now a junior at Norfolk Aggie) — she's special. By cross-country next year, she could be a divisional champ and one of the best runners in the state."

Ross nods in assent to Halacy's thoughts, proud of the accomplishments of runners from Southern Worcester County. And he couldn't enjoy his sport more.

"There's nothing more fun for me than running fast."

—Contact John Conceison at john.conceison@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @ConceisonJohn.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Uxbridge's Ross reflects on stellar career before heading to Wake Forest