CHICAGO—Alejandro Torres is the lone freshman to enlist his services to the Illinois Institute of Technology men's track & field and cross country teams in 2020-21. The Northridge, California native's initial taste of distance running occurred in the sixth grade, and he didn't look back.

"My middle school put on a couple of track & field events for fun, nothing that was really official," said Torres. "My goal was to place among the top 10 in my school in any of my events. I ended up not meeting those goals, which motivated me to work harder."

That first middle school track & field event resulted in a 10-minute mile for Torres. This provoked the chemical engineering major to spend his remaining middle school years running on his own, and perfecting his craft in the weight room. It paid dividends as Torres nearly shaved four minutes off his mile in seventh grade with a 6:37, followed by a 5:52 in eighth grade. The vast improvements helped Torres find his niche before he stepped foot into Grover Cleveland Charter School.

Good things happen to those who surround themselves around positive individuals, and Torres is no exception.

"High school cross country was the best experience of my life," said Torres. "I was fortunate to have had coaches and teammates that pushed me to lengths I never thought were possible. I couldn't have done it without them."

That extra push helped Torres shave his mile time further from a 5:52 in eighth grade, to a 5:00 his freshman season at Grover Cleveland. 

"That large improvement in particular during my freshman year was the turning point in my confidence for the future," said Torres. "We had a very good varsity team made up of mostly seniors. I was the fastest among the non-varsity runners."

Torres evolved into a core leader for the Grover Cleveland Charter School boy's cross country and track & field teams throughout his final three seasons. A culture geared toward working hard and getting all teammates into the weight room everyday was vital for Torres, which paved the way for a successful high school career that opened doors for a bright future on the track and in the classroom. 

"Coach Tyler reached out to me around winter break of my senior season," said Torres. "I was looking at a lot of different programs, mostly Division III. I thought the small team culture would facilitate my success better than big teams, one of the main reasons I chose Illinois Tech!"