Alex Kassem, stellar athlete and amazing student, has been doing the hurdles in track since his sophomore year at Wilcox. As a senior, he has made his mark in the track records; he is ranked 5^th in the school for the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.79 seconds, and 5^th in the school as well for the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 40.64 seconds. Kassem’s seasonal bests for these two events are 16.40 and 41.58. In 2015, he made CCS for both the 110 and the 300-meter hurdles, and was first in the Leagues meet for the 300-meter. According to the sprinting coach James Roger, Kassem has broke the school record in the 400-meter hurdles as well.

“My strengths are my compassion for my teammates, my will to keep getting faster and stronger, and that I never give up,” says Kassem. “He is coachable,” adds Coach James. “He doesn’t get too high or too low. He doesn’t let a bad race or practice effect his confidence.” Even the best athletes have weaknesses, and Kassem realizes that his are that he is injury prone. One of his recent injuries has stopped him from competing in the triple jump event this year, another component of track he is very skilled in. His seasonal best for the triple jump is 39-06.5, but his personal best is 40-4.25, which he jumped in his junior year.

Moreover, despite these injuries, Kassem continues to work hard to improve as well as excel in what he does. Not only is he is ranked 3rd in the El Camino League for the 110 meter hurdles, but he is also ranked 1st in the league for 300 meter hurdles, as of this season. “I am motivated by my goals, which are to beat the school record for my events and to make state championships,” Kassem states. “Alex is one of the fastest kids on the team, but he is extremely humble. He is one that leads by example,” says Coach James. “He does all that is asked of him and is receptive to criticism.”

Kassem also forms good relationships with his teammates and coach, who he claims to be his close friends who “support him through thick and thin.” Additionally, while ,Coach Roger is a newer part of the team, they were able to form a bond quickly. “We have mutual respect for each other, but we like to joke around and have fun,” says Coach James. “He is a joy to coach.”

In the years past, Kassem has played several other sports other than track. He ran for cross-country for three years, and played baseball for one year. He is also involved in Interact as an officer, participates in CSF Club, had a role in ASB for two years, and was in the sophomore class council. Interact has provided him with several hours of community service through three FLCs, caroling for cans, trick or treating for UNICEF, and Christmas for Kids.

Along with donating much of his time and energy to sports and other extracurricular activities, he has also managed to go above and beyond in his studies. In his sophomore and junior years combined he took four AP and one Honors class as well as four more APs in his senior year. Hard work and dedication to his school work has left him with a 4,23 GPA,

Although he has not yet decided on which college to attend, nor whether he will compete in their track team, Kassem has been accepted into San Diego State, UC Santa Cruz, Cal Poly SLO, and CSU Long Beach. Through his hard work and perseverance, Kassem continues to be the best athlete and student he can be in his last semester here at Wilcox.