Wheeler's Nurse gives up soccer to focus on running

A late arrival to cross country, Kyle Nurse is making a name for himself in a sport he only took up last last season.

Looking back, the Wheeler senior can't help but wonder, what if?

"I didn't figure out I was a runner until late my junior year," Nurse said. "I wish I'd found out my freshman, sophomore year."

Nurse spent those falls playing soccer, the sport he'd done since he was little. It was on the high school track as a sophomore that coach Luis Guillen noticed Nurse's potential.

"I love competition. It's my favorite thing in the world," Nurse said. "(Guillen) told me I should try out for cross country. I was like, 'All right, I'm game.' I love challenges. I tried it. I loved racing all the kids. I like being recognized as an individual and as a team."

The lack of experience didn't hinder Nurse too much. While still playing soccer, he won the Greater South Shore Conference meet and narrowly missed qualifying for the regional.

"The light bulb went on," Guillen said. "He realized, hey, I can be real good at this."

With that in mind, Nurse made a big decision during the summer, opting to give up soccer -- where he would've been a starting sweeper and captain -- to focus on cross country.

"I'm always going to miss it," he said. "But long term, I had to do this. I'm trying my best to get my college paid for."

First and foremost, Nurse has benefitted from the reduced wear and tear on his body. He is already well ahead of the 16:55 he posted in last year's sectional, when he ran with torn cartilage in his hip and pinched nerves in his calves. On top of that, Nurse arrived at Sunset Hill Farm that day without spikes, and had to run in gym shoes.

"I was freaking out," he said. "It was a really bad day."

The misfortune made Nurse better.

"It helped him focus on training, on the things he needs to do to be a better runner," Guillen said. "Before, he was kind of the team clown. Now he's a really good leader, getting the team together, someone the younger guys look up to. He brings it up all the time, how good he could've been. He still keeps it light, which is good, especially with the freshmen, when they get tensed up."

Nurse still enjoys having fun, but understands there's a time and place for levity.

"It's another whole level of seriousness," he said.

All the miles, hills training and speed work have made a huge difference for Nurse, who now has some of the region's pacesetters in his view.

"I've gotten a lot faster," he said. "I hate being stuck in a big cluster of kids. I like trying to get out and stay with the top runners. I was real slow last year so I didn't see them at all. To stick with them is really cool for me. I'd never seen them run before so I'm actually learning how to run. I'm always learning."

With the postseason just around the corner, Nurse already has his sights set on the big meets. He looks to defend his GSSC title and make amends for last fall's sectional disappointment.

"I'm 100 percent ready to go for the sectional," he said. "That's my main goal, and overall, to go to state. I'm trying to cut as much time as I can."