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Just four years after stepping onto a track for the first time, Morristown West’s Ignacio Vargas Huipe announced he would be continuing his cross country career at Walters State.

Friends, family and coaches gathered in the auditorium as Vargas made it official on Wednesday morning.

The decision for Vargas was clear once coach Raymond Farmer extended the offer.

“I talked to different schools; I talked to Tennessee Tech, Carson Newman and ETSU,” said Vargas. “I could’ve competed as a walk-on, but Farmer gave me the offer so I knew I wanted to take that.”

The plan for Vargas is to transfer to University of Tennessee after his time at Walters State.

“I’m planning on going to UT for track and cross country, as well as to further my education,” he said.

It wasn’t the athletic program that attracted Vargas to UT, but rather the nursing program. Unlike running, nursing is something he’s always felt drawn to.

“I’ve wanted to be a nurse since I was a little kid,” he said. “My little sister was born without her left hand, and I want to go into medicine to help kids like that.”

There’s something about distance running that lends itself to altruism. Putting the betterment of your cardiovascular health or your ability as a runner above that little voice in your head telling you to stop.

What draws Vargas to distance running is the meditative effect it can have. That runners high you always hear people talking about. Its unique ability to present you with peace of mind as you treat the body vigorously.

“There’s nothing like a long run to clear your head,” he said. “You can just tune out the noise and focus on your running.”

Vargas doesn’t plan to take any time off this summer. As he exited the auditorium, he and Coach Farmer exchanged jokes about their 8:00 am practice the following morning. Before he took off, I asked how he plans to spend his off-season.

“Just training, practice, running a lot, and eating healthy,” he said.

No doubt good practices to be in for his future career in medicine as well.

Vargas starts at Walters State in the fall.