ROGERS -- The first time Carlton Efurd saw Austin Salazar run, the Rogers High cross country coach knew right away he was coaching an elite runner.
Salazar moved to Rogers from California before his sophomore year and was invited by Efurd to an early-season time trial.
"A neighbor of Austin's told me he was interested in running and I said, 'We are having a time trial on Friday, have him come out,'" Efurd said. "Austin comes out and he was in the top seven in our first time trial. I said, 'We have to get this guy out for cross country.'"
Over the next three seasons, Salazar recorded three top five finishes at the Class 7A state cross country meet and he finished second in the 1,600-meter run at the Class 7A State Track Meet last spring as a junior. Salazar will be one of the favorites in the 1,600 this coming spring, but his cross country and track career will not end when he graduates in May.
Salazar will continue his running career after the Mounties senior signed a national letter of intent Friday to run cross country and track at Central Arkansas in Conway.
"UCA has a great program and when I went down there I just fell in love with the school," Salazar said. "They have great academics and a great running program."
Salazar ended his first cross country season with a fourth-place finish at the 7A-West Conference meet and a second-place finish at the Class 7A state cross country meet in Hot Springs, finishing in a time of 16 minutes, 0.3 seconds.
Salazar then finished fifth at the state cross country meet as a junior while helping Rogers to the school's 17th boys state championship. Last month, Salazar took second at the state cross country meet as the Mounties won back-to-back Class 7A titles.
In between, Salazar turned in a second place finish in the 1600 at the Class 7A State Track Meet with a time of 4:28.66.
"Austin is just naturally talented," Efurd said. "Austin seems to run his best races at the end of the year when it counts the most. The more pressure there is, the better Austin performs."
Rogers track coach Jim Yurwitz expects Salazar to take the next step this spring and win the 1,600 at the state meet.
"I'm not hoping, I'm counting on it," Yurwitz said. "Austin is one of those kids that steps up in the big races."
Sports on 12/06/2014