KOAA News5 Athlete of the week is Drew Lester of Palmer Ridge.
The senior long distance runner is one of the top track athletes in the state in 800M and the 1600M and will contend for a 4A state title at the state track meet in May. He has yet to win a state title there. He would like to win at least one before he heads off to the Air Force Academy to run with the Falcons next year.
Lester gained fame or infamy at the state cross country meet last October when he fell into the creek and dislocated his shoulder but finished the race and took sixth place overall, helping the Bears win the 4A boys state title.
He used to play hockey and did long distance running as training for hockey season. He gave up hockey to focus on running when he reached high school and hasn’t looked back since.
"I found a lot of success in it and that made a huge difference to me," Lester said. "You get a different type of athlete on the track and I think that’s really why I decided to choose track."
