Diggs Sprints His Way to Athlete of the Week Honors
La Grange track runner Austen Diggs’ speed is a force to be reckoned with and he has the stats to show for it. Last month at indoor nationals, Diggs won titles in the 60 meter and 200 meter events, then followed that up with a fifth place finish in the 100 meter event at the Texas Relays.
“So far, it’s been a great season,” said La Grange head track coach Rusty Cauthern. “But we’re not done yet and he’s not done yet. I mean, bottom line, he’s got goals set for himself, goals set for the team, and Austen’s gonna work hard to be a part of it to get us to where we want to be.”
Diggs’ continuous results at the top fo the standings has given him the nod for this edition’s Athlete of the Week.
Question: What’s your fastest time in the 40-yard dash?
Answer: “I haven’t ran it in quite a while, but my freshman year, I ran about a 4.4. So now, probably around that 4.34.4 area.”
Question: What kind of strategy goes into running track?
See Answer: “There’s a lot because there’s many different races and I run anywhere from the 60 to the 400, so of course you have to have the right level of conditioning, plus the right level of just straight sprinter speed and have a good combination, especially for things like the 200 where it’s a pretty balanced race. You have to have both. It takes a lot of speed and conditioning, so multiple types of training.”
Question: Where’s your favorite place to run?
Answer: “Right now, my most favorite place I’ve ran at is probably either Texas Tech indoor or the UT (University of Texas) track outdoor. They’re both great tracks to run on.”
Question: Who’s a runner you look up to?
Answer: “One of the runners I look up the most to right now, well two, is of course Matthew Boling and then another one, Kenny Bednarek, a professional athlete who’s also running at UT, as well as Christian Coleman, who’s an excellent starter.”
Question: What do you usually eat before an event?
Answer: “Usually different things. Throughout my day, I’ll eat a lot the day before, then the day of I’ll just kind of keep it lighter so I’m not too heavy whenever I’m running. Just some healthy snacks.”
Question: Do you have aspirations to run in college? If so, what college would you like to run for?
Answer: “I definitely want to run at a college. I have a list. I’m not sure where I want to run yet, but places like Tennessee, UT, Kentucky, Oregon, Arkansas, just places like that. LSU.”
Question: What’s a movie you really like?
Answer: “I’m really into Marvel movies, so any kind of Marvel movie I like to watch. I’ve seen all of them.”
Question: Who do you have winning this year’s World Series in Major League Baseball?
Answer: “I’ve always been an Astros fan, so I got to go for the Astros.”
Question: What’s a quality trait you notice about Coach Cauthern?
Answer: “I like how he stays calm and he’s not about the reward. He’s about putting in work. Of course the reward is a product of putting in work. He knows how to give us the right work and give us the right mentality going into track meets.”
Question: If you had to choose one thing to do in La Grange, what would it be and why?
Answer: “In La Grange, I just love to work as hard as I can. I spend most of my time here working and kind of focusing on myself. I know I have a big future ahead, so I just have to keep putting in the work.”
Diggs has the ability to not only run at the next level, but succeed in it.