North Stafford's Radlin to commits to UNC

STAFFORD — While some may dream of making it big by being scoped out by a big-name college, North Stafford High School senior Reynaldo Radlin, ran quite literally headfirst toward the opportunity.

The diligent and dedicated runner contacted the University of North Carolina via e-mail and was pleased to find that UNC liked what it saw. On Jan. 25, Radlin verbally committed to running track for the college and on Feb. 6 he plans to sign a Letter of Intent with the school.

Radlin started his track career in middle school.

“I basically just tried it out in seventh grade… At first I didn’t really like it, but my mother kept encouraging me and eventually I learned to like it,” he said.

Radlin said the 300-meter hurdle event was his favorite with a personal record of 37:93.

“When I go out and see that my time is going down that just encourages me to go out and practice even harder,” said Radlin, who noted his interested in majoring in exercise and sports sciences.

“He’s always been an exceptional kid,” his mother, Tortica Anderson-French, said, “…He started running track when he was at H. H. Poole…I think he found he was pretty good at it.”

She also pointed out that Radlin was quick to learn about track and field events and had even taught himself techniques to use in order to do better each time. Anderson-French made it a point to thank NSHS track coach Harry Booth for being a constant encouragement to Radlin and said she hoped her son would grow and mature into a stronger and smarter individual.

According to UNC’s official Web site, more than 20 people were honored in the “Track and Field Honor Banquet” due to excellence in their performances over the past two years. The college also boasts impressive records in track and field, including several in the section called Eddie Smith Field House All-Time Marks and a number of victories at the Hokie Invitational.

Jeff Mitchell is a contributing writer at the Stafford County Sun. Reach him at info@staffordcountysun.com.