Sophomore Antonio Burkhart has gotten off to a stellar start in his high school running career and is only getting better.

Considered one of the better sophomores in the WPIAL, Burkhart is coming off a freshman season where he was a WPIAL qualifier in the 3200 meter during track season. That successful end to his freshman season has continued into his sophomore cross country campaign.

Burkhart this season has a personal best in the 5k at 16:52:60 and has had solid finishes at invitationals including a fifth place finish at the Montour Spartan Invite and a sixth place finish at the Uniontown Invitational. Burkart is coming off a first place finish in the Hawks critical section meet against Baldwin and USC on Tuesday. Burkhart hopes to build off this early success to the season for later meets.

Favorite subject? Math specifically algebra in general

Favorite food? Pasta

Do you have a favorite musician or genre of music? No. I like music but I’m not picky with it.

Favorite movie? Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift

If you had a superpower what would it be? Super speed

Is there a particular runner or athlete that you look up to? Mo Pharah, because he’s an amazing runner and his slogan is “one mo mile.”

What are your ultimate goals for the rest of the season? To qualify for states.

Do you prefer cross country or track? Cross country. I like to run through the woods and there’s the distance factor.

Is there anything interesting about you that someone would be surprised to know? I am obsessed with JDM cars.

Lastly what advice would you give to younger runners out there? Run with your local high school team and make good habits.

The co-ed cross country team finishes up their section meets on Tuesday, Oct. 3 as they travel to Mt. Lebanon to take on both the Blue Devils and the Trinity Hillers.