Jack Graffeo is just a sophomore at WA, but he is already breaking records. At the Auerbach Freshman-Sophomore Championship Meet on Saturday, Jan. 7, Graffeo broke the meet record for the one mile race with a time of 4:26.50. This broke the previous meet record of 4:26.76.

After he finished the record-breaking race, he was pulled aside by workers from the Bay State Running Company and the Boston Herald, who he waited with for 10 minutes, before they told him that he broke the record.

“I knew that I was capable of doing it,” Graffeo said. “I definitely had it in mind. I was really dialed in and was pushing myself to go for it.”

And he got it by 0.24 seconds. It’s not the biggest margin, but it still broke the previous record.

Graffeo is not just a one-and-done runner when it comes to events at track meets. Alongside the one mile, he also runs the two mile, the 800-meter, and the occasional relay race.

Graffeo started running in sixth grade when his parents forced him to participate on Stony Brook Middle School’s cross country team. He is now thankful that his parents forced him to participate, and looks to continue improving his running at both track and cross country.

“[I love] the feeling of achievement after I have finished, not just races, but also just going for a run. I feel like I’ve done something good with my time, and I can see myself getting better, working towards my goal,” Graffeo said.

Graffeo, like all athletes, has goals for himself. He is always striving to improve, and to meet the goals that he sets for himself. He wants to compete at the Division-1 level in college, and plans to continue running after college.

“If I ever feel down and not motivated, I think back to all of the success that I’ve had,” Graffeo said. “It makes me want to not only continue, but also get better.”

While most people who do something for fun like sports have a part of that activity that they are not as fond of, Graffeo doesn’t have that. He accepts that there are ups and downs in sports, and understands that it is a natural thing that happens. He doesn’t let it take away from the overall enjoyment of the sport that he loves.

“[I just want to] get better and improve every day. That’s really it,” Graffeo said. “If you win the day, then you’re gonna win the year.”