Cabell Willis at DirectAthletics
Career Highlights
2012-13 Academic All-American (Third Team)
Two-time Academic All-District
Qualified to the USATF Junior meet in two events (2010-11), the 1,500 and the 5K
Fifth in the 1,500 at the 2011 BSC Outdoor Champs
Sixth in the 5K at 2012 BSC Outdoors
Five-time Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Nine-Time Big South All-Academic (3X each outdoor track and indoor track, 3X XC)
2013-14: Named to the Academic All-District Team for the second straight year...Big South Scholar-Athlete of the year in indoor and outdoor track and field, bumping his number of those awards to five for his career...finished third in the 5K at the Fred Hardy Invite...was ninth in the 5K and 10th in the 1,500 at the conference outdoor meet...indoors, finished 10th in the 5K and 11th in the 3K at the conference meet...competed in all six cross country events...was VMI's top runner in finishing ninth at the season-opening Covered Bridge Open...had a seasonal best 8K time of 25:28 at the Blue Ridge Open in October...finished 18th at the Big South Championships and was named to the conference's all-academic team...finished his cross country career with a 10K PR at the SE Regional Championships (31:37)...held rank in the Corps of Cadets and served as editor-in-chief of the Sounding Brass.
2012-13: Became the first athlete to sweep the Big South's Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards since 2000-2001 (Bruce Kite, Liberty)...increased his total to five conference all-academic teams...was VMI's first men's XC Scholar-Athlete of the Year since 2006...12th in the 10K at the conference outdoor meet, his first collegiate track 10K...18th in the 5K there as well...seventh in the 5K at the W&L Carnival...eighth in the 5K at the Big South Indoor Championships (14:55.83)...ninth in the 3K there...won the 3K over three of his teammates at the YSU Icebreaker...third in the 5K at the YSU Invitational...competed in all six events during cross country season...won the season-opening 5K VMI Invitational...was the team's top runner at the Paul Short Run...set an 8K PR at the Blue Ridge Open (25:05)...just missed All-Big South honors at the conference championships, finishing 11th...holds rank of Regimental Staff Sergeant in the VMI Corps of Cadets...named to CoSIDA's Academic All-American Third Team for track and field.
2011-12: Finished sixth in the 5K at the Big South Outdoor Championships, thanks to a personal best 14:49 effort...was the first time he had cracked the 15:00 barrier...was one of three Keydets to do so in that race, while only two had gone under that standard since 2003 before that event...ran a seasonal best 4:02 1,500-meters at the Patriot Open...won the 5K in his final event outdoors, the Va. Tech/Roanoke Twilight meet...finished 11th in the 3K at the Fred Hardy Invite...was eighth in the 5K at the Big South Indoor Championships...also finished ninth in the 3K at that event...member of Big South All-Academic Teams in both indoor and outdoor seasons...also in the classroom, was inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta (English) honor society and the Pi Delta Phi honor society as well (French)...redshirted the cross country season.
2010-11: Had a strong outdoor season that included a fifth-place finish in the 1,500 at the Big South Championships...posted a lifetime best 1,500 (3:55.99) at the Mason Spring Invitational, good enough for a USATF Juniors qualifying effort...also qualified for that event in the 5K, thanks to a 15:04.80 at the VMI/W&L Carnival, which was good for seventh place in a crowded field...scored in both the mile (seventh) and the 3K (eighth) at the Big South indoor meet...finished fourth in the 1,500 at the Liberty Quad (4:00.35)...was VMI's #4-#5 XC runner for the majority of his freshman year...finished sixth at the Big South Preview...was 22nd at the Big South Championships...set a personal and season 8K best of 26:09 at the Charlotte Invitational.
High School/Personal: 2010 state champion in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs...2010 Second Team All-State...2009 state runner-up...2008 All-State.
Personal Bests:
Mile: 4:13.1
1,500: 3:55.99
3K: 8:38.68
5K: 14:49
8K: 25:05 (2012 Blue Ridge Open)
10K: 32:16 (2012 NCAA SE Regionals)
