One of Australia’s most promising middle-distance runners is looking forward to developing his wares in the United States.
Forest Glen’s Alexander Stitt will leave on January 8, bound for Ohlahoma State University.
And the 19-year-old expects to thrive in the renowned track and cross county program at Stillwater.
“I think the main thing is I will be able to train with people who are better than me, and I will be able to work towards getting to that level,” he said.
“It will be great to have those really elite guys pushing me along and making me a better runner.
“They make you work harder. There’s an atmosphere that everyone wants to improve, and everyone works together to make the team and themselves better.”
Stitt is from a prominent Sunshine Coast sporting family. His father Paul is a Maroochydore Swans rugby union great and championship-winning Queensland Country captain, who also won an Australian title in the reserve surfboat event rowing for Coolum. His mother Judy was a top surfboat rower and sprinter.
Stitt has shown real potential in recent years. He has produced some some eye-catching displays, including winning the Australian under-20 1500m title with a bold run as an 18-year-old in 2019. He’s also improved his times this year, despite it being impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.
“I increased my workload and I’ve been training with a few older guys who have been helping me and pushing me at training,” he said.
Stitt, a product of Maroochy Athletics Club, boarded at Brisbane Grammar in high school and he has recently been training with athletes at Gold Coast Run Co.
His personal bests are 3min47sec (1500m), 8min10sec (3km) and 14min28sec (5km).
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Keen to contribute to team
In the long-term, Stitt would love to get to the Olympics but his more immediate plans are to make an impact on the intercollegiate stage.
He expects to make big strides during the new few years with the Cowboys squad.
“I want improve and be able to contribute to the team on their national stage,” he said.
He joined Oklahoma State University after he reached out to several well-known running institutions in the United States.
OSU flew him there to tour the facilities and meet the sports staff, and they subsequently agreed they would be a good combination.
He’ll study aerospace engineering while at University of Oklahoma, during a four-to-five year course.
