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Schools

Whiz Kid: Ted Owens

This student athlete has plenty to look forward to during his senior year.

Name: Ted Owens

Age: 17

Grade: Senior (Class of 2012)

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School:

Accomplishment: Owens has been involved with cross country and track since his freshman year, and is one of five captains for the cross country program for his senior season. He is also a DJ for Central's radio station, WHSD 88.5, where he co-hosts a show with two other classmates, as well as being a columnist/featured writer for the sports section of the school's newspaper, the Devil's Advocate. For the first three years of high school, Owens also played viola for the symphonic and chamber orchestras. 

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Key to Awesomeness: Owens anticipates an exciting end to his cross country career. "It's been a great season," he said. "We have five captains, all seniors, with a lot of experience running in big meets. Last year's team finished 15th in the state meet, and we have three returners from that state meet. It's good to have guys who have been around the block when it comes to big meets and pressure situations." So far the Red Devils have had an impressive run; the cross country team is 4-1 in conference, and are preparing for the state series November 5. 

Owens also uses his love for sports as a writer for the Devil's Advocate, which introduces an online edition this week. "As an athlete, you don't have a whole lot of time to see other athletic events," he said. "[As a writer for the Devil's Advocate] I've gotten to know a lot of different, really talented athletes that I wouldn't have known otherwise." He's also excited for the paper's move online. "We have to step up our game a little bit - covering day-to-day stories that we wouldn't normally be able to do with the print version. We're trying to get new material out every week." 

What's Next: Owens is still figuring out his next step. "I'm not quite sure on my major or career interest, so I'm looking mostly at schools that'll allow me to go in undecided." He has applied mainly to east coast schools, but is also looking at Northwestern University, the University of Illinois, and Notre Dame in the midwest. 

For now, he's focusing on finishing his senior cross country season strong. "I'm definitely looking forward to [the state meet]," he said. "It's been a goal of ours for a long time to run well our senior year at the state meet. It's sort of a culminating experience." 

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