LEBANON—It has been a long race, but it isn’t over. Two-time state individual champion Derek Mitchell signed to run cross-country with Division 1 University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in a ceremony last Monday at Gracewood Community Church.
“It will be a big step up for me. “I’m looking forward to it and the challenge,” Mitchell said. “As much as I’m looking forward to it, I do lament having to step away from my team and my friends that I’ve grown up with and not be so grown up with, too, all at the same time. I’ve loved the journey. It’s been a heck of a ride.”
The Mocs are happy to add Mitchell to their XC roster.
“Derek’s times and placing at the state meet interested us initially,” said UTC XC coach Andy Meyer. We ask all prospective student-athletes to come to campus for a face-to-face interview, and we get to know them and their families a little bit better. It was during that interview process that Derek impressed us with his commitment to his faith, his family, his academics, and his athletics in exactly that order, which is the order we teach for priorities in life.
“Fast times are important, but being a committed person to what is truly important is just as important. Derek showed us he has those qualities. Derek is committed to his faith; he loves his family, and they are great; he loves to learn and will graduate with a high-demand skill; he loves to train and race. That is exactly the kids we love to recruit here at UTC.”
The term overnight success doesn’t apply especially to cross country. Mitchell started running in the sixth grade. It has been a seven-plus-year process.
“It’s been a long road,” commented Mitchell. “Every year, I build up a little more, a little more. Coach (Travis) Hooker has helped me throughout to give me what I’ve needed every step of the way. I had a team that kept me in it and kept me going; I would have never shown up that first day if it wasn’t for the group of friends I had to be with and enjoy. It’s what made it fun.”
Coach Hooker has had two other state champions. Jon Urlich in 2010 and Jessey Ball in 2016. Hooker had always wanted a harrier to go D1. He has that in Mitchell.
“You work your entire career to have good things happen, and having someone D1 has been a goal of mine,” noted Hooker. “It started to become a realization recently. I reached out to a lot of teams for him, and Chattanooga was quick to get back to us. It’s a big goal. Obviously, Derek did all this himself. I’m excited for him, and I can say I have a D1 athlete. We tried to count them up the other day, maybe seven or eight D1 athletes in all sports from Lebanon potentially.”
What led to Mitchell’s success?
“Derek just has a lot of grit and determination,” Hooker said. “I always tell people, if everyone is even with him, you’re not going to beat him. From day one, it’s been me and him. There have not been outside influences on it. I say, this is what we’re going to do, and he does it. Derek gets up each morning, motivated to be better. He has a competitive spirit and a great work ethic. You can’t take shortcuts, and he hasn’t done that.”
Those are similar to what led UTC to Derek.
“Derek’s strengths are his commitment to excel in whatever he does,” coach Meyer said. He is highly motivated, comfortable being uncomfortable, highly competitive in both the classroom and on the track, and willing to do what others are not willing to do.”
As a youngster, making himself run, did the thought of two state championships even enter Mitchell’s mind?
“That never occurred in my mind. I would have never believed I would have been a state champion,” Mitchell said. But here I am, and I love it.”
Although you are often alone when running, Mitchell credits his team with much of his success.
“My team has played a big part in helping me and pushing me,” he said. “With that, I just try to give as good an effort as I can every day. I give 100 percent every time I go out, nothing less than your best.”
Like everyone else, there are days when he doesn’t feel like making the trek. It would be easy to take a day off, leading to two, three, or more days off.
“Some mornings, you get up, and no bone in your body wants to move,” Mitchell said. Once you get out there, you shake it off, and it pushes you further. You want to improve; you want to get better and go further than you have before.
“It’s addictive. When you’ve done it as long as I have, you don’t know any other way of doing things. It’s a part of you, and you don’t feel right when you’ve not done it.”
The Mocs are looking forward to having Mitchell suit up for them.
“This fall, we expect Derek to come in and be able to contribute to our top seven,” remarked Meyer. “I believe as he gets stronger, he can be our number one runner eventually, but he does not have to worry about that initially. Derek and his signing class will help us be in the top three to four teams in our conference, and I believe I have the chance to be one of the top 15 NCAA D1 programs in the South.
After Mitchell signed, the Pioneers Boys Cross Country Team was presented with their 2023 State Championship Rings. Seven team members won back-to-back state team titles: Mitchell, Eli Taylor, Alec Deckard, Carter Dillon, Blake Chafin, Owen Jones, and Emmitt Breeding. Freshman Charlie Brown was a contributor to the team championship this year.