Carson Rackley
School: Glen Allen
Year: Senior GPA: 4.52
Athletic accomplishments: Rackley was the driving force behind repeat region and state championships for the Glen Allen cross country team this year. He was the runner-up individually at the Class 5, Region C meet and was fourth at the Class 5 meet, and he was the first Jaguar to finish in each of those championship races. He’s also contributed all-state performances in both indoor and outdoor track and field.
Academic accomplishments: Rackley ranks eighth in the Class of 2023 at Glen Allen. He takes several AP classes and he’s a member of several honor societies.
Remembering last year’s state title: As a junior, Rackley was a key piece in Glen Allen’s Class 5 team championship, which was the first state title for the program and the school overall. “During the COVID year, when we went to states and got second, everyone was hungry after that. … Since that season was in the spring, we still had that hunger during the summer. Once the season came, everyone was in perfect shape, and everything fell into place. … At states, I was the second guy in for Glen Allen, and that was a really huge moment for me.”
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On adversity this season: Rackley and the Jaguars set out this season with the goal of a repeat, but just days before the first meet of the season, he suffered an IT band injury that kept him out for a few weeks. “I went to all the meets and cheered them on, but it was kind of heartbreaking. I was seeing everyone get faster and faster, and I was just like sitting on the bike and doing swims. So I tried to use all of that motivation of wanting to get back out there to my two-hour long swims, or one-and-a-half hour bikes. It was like brain-numbing, honestly, but I’m glad I did all of it because right when I got back, I had a really good race.”
Coming back strong: Rackley returned for the Albemarle Invitational and broke 16 minutes for the first time, along with teammate Eric Fagan. Rackley finished fifth at the race with a time of 15:40.10, which remains his personal record in a 5K. He and the Jaguars then finished second as a team at the MileStat.com XC Invitational before powering to repeat championships at the Class 5, Region C and Class 5 meets. “It was amazing. When I was through the race … I’m just hoping everyone is doing their part and getting it done. That was our pep talk, for us to win, nobody had to do anything special. We all just had to do what we’ve been doing all season. We all trusted each other and we got it done. I remember when I turned around and I saw Eric come through, I gave him a big hug.”
Secret sauce for Glen Allen’s running success: “When I joined the team as an eighth-grader, I was a JV athlete, small guy. There wasn’t really a divide between JV and varsity. We’d all go on runs together, and then I found specific people to look up to, like Ali Ibrahim — I know he won this award, I finally caught up to Ali! We all are just like one team. There’s no JV, varsity, girls and boys, we’re just in it together. We’re able to share goals with everyone. I think starting that from when freshmen and sophomores join the team, it just gets everyone in the right mindset to be able to win.”
Favorite place to run: He enjoys running on Francistown Road near Glen Allen to practice with his teammates. “Something about it. So smooth and relaxing, it’s just fun to me. It’s big enough that we can get three guys across and have good conversations while we’re running.”
Favorite sports memory: He and the Jaguars won the state title in the 4x800-meter relay at the Class 5 indoor track championships last winter. “That was crazy. We were seeded third or fourth. I remember when Ben, our anchor leg, took the lead on the last lap, my eyes opened so big. I was like, ‘We can win this!’ Eric and I were watching on the sideline and screaming at him. It was crazy.”
Favorite class at Glen Allen: AP Calculus BC with Mr. Dean. “Greatest math teacher I’ve ever had.”
Future career path: His dad works in computer science, so he wants to do something similar.
Favorite movie: “Inception”
Favorite TV show: “Parks and Rec”
Favorite video game: “Valorant”
Special talent: He can solve a Rubik’s Cube in 35 seconds.
What’s on his playlist: Drake and Baby Keem
If you could travel anywhere in the world: Hawaii. He visited during the summer a few years ago and called it the “best experience of my life.”
Favorite food: “Pizza. Pizza, pizza, pizza. Love pizza.” He’s a particular fan of the pizza from Whole Foods.
