Reece Duff is Right on Track

Hatter men to compete in Louisville on Saturday

LOUISVILLE CROSS COUNTRY CLASSIC
Site: E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park, Louisville, Ky.
Men: 8K, 9:30 a.m.
Results: RTTimingSolutions
Live Video: FloTrack

When Reece Duff steps to the starting line of a cross country race, he already has a game plan in mind for how he is going to run the course.

The same can be said of Duff's academic career. The Hatter junior is on pace to graduate from Stetson University in just three years. He is majoring in Molecular Biology on a pre-medical track and is a member of the university's Pre-Health program. He ranks near the top of his class with a 3.95 GPA, and following graduation, Duff has his sights set on a career in cancer research.

"I've always been a bit of a science nerd and my mom is in the medical field as a physical therapist, so it just felt natural to follow that path," Duff said. "Medicine is such a fulfilling field and one where I felt like I could make the most impact in the real world."

Duff's parents encouraged him to get an early start at looking for potential career fields in medicine.

"They urged me to focus on a particular medical specialty that I am most passionate about, while also providing me with so many tools to allow me to be the most successful student and citizen I can be," Duff said.

As Duff studied areas that might spark a personal interest, a family setback became a moment of inspiration.

"My grandfather was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and hit our family pretty hard," Duff said. "I started to do some research on cancer and was absolutely fascinated by it, especially how dynamic and alive it is. I decided I want to try and answer some of the big questions surrounding it through scientific research."

Following a standout academic and athletic career at Creekside High School in Jacksonville, Duff elected to attend Stetson University. He wanted the opportunity continue running at the collegiate level and to receive a "phenomenal education" that would lead to a successful career. He says the information, guidance and support he has received from the university has been critical to getting him on the fast track to graduation. He especially credits professors Dr. Roslyn Crowder and Dr. Mike King for preparing him for medical school and the knowledge needed to get into the cancer research field.

"Being a student-athlete with pre-med aspirations and on track to graduate in three years, I don't think I could have done this anywhere else in Florida."

In addition to his academic accomplishments, Duff has played a key role in the resurgence of the Stetson cross country program. He has competed in all 15 races in his career, posting an 8K PR time of 26:22 at the UF/Mountain Dew Invitational last year. He also earned ASUN Men's Cross Country All-Academic team honors and CoSIDA Cross Country/Track and Field Academic All-District team honors for his accomplishments on the field and in the classroom.

"Reece is the epitome of a student-athlete," Stetson head coach Bryan Harmon said. "For him to do what he does is just incredible. It gives us a huge advantage when we go out and recruit to say that academics matters here, and Reece proves that. He is going to go far. Cancer research, medical field, no doubt about it, the kid is going to be successful."

What Duff enjoys the most about running is being part of a successful team, and this year's Stetson squad has gotten off to a terrific start. In the first two meets of the season, the Hatter men have earned first and second place team finishes at the FAU and FGCU Invitationals.

"This year has been, without a doubt, the coolest year of cross country that I've ever been a part of," Duff said, smiling. "We have brought in three absolutely stellar freshmen. Not only are they super talented and extremely fast, they are all eager to learn and get out there to practice every day. The mentality of this year's team has totally shifted. I love coming to practice every day, and that's something that I think I lost a little bit of in high school."

Duff and the Hatters will compete at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic at 9:30 am Saturday in Louisville, Ky. Stetson is one of 41 men's teams competing in the Gold Division race. Live streaming will be available on FloTrack and Live scoring will be provided by RTTimingSolutions.com.

Though his goals and aspirations for this year are high, Duff remains grounded in what brought him to Stetson in the first place.

"It's all about the interpersonal relationships, both in an athletic setting and an academic setting. Being a part of this small nine-person team with our Coach Harmon has been so incredible. The relationships I've made both within our team and in the classroom, too, with my faculty mentors and peers are everything. I don't think you can get that anywhere else but from the college experience."

Notes: Duff says after graduation he plans to take a gap year to get a full-time research job or a job working in a hospital and to apply med school. He is also proud to report is grandfather has been in remission for about a year.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.

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Players Mentioned

Reece Duff: Junior

Players Mentioned

Reece Duff
: Junior

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Reece Duff is Right on Track

Hatter men to compete in Louisville on Saturday

Players Mentioned

Reece Duff

Players Mentioned

Reece Duff