Growing up, Lynnfield native and St. John’s Prep star Nathan Lopez said he was “always pretty good at running.” Years later, he’s set to compete in track and field and cross country as a Michigan Wolverine.
From running two morning miles in fifth grade to winning the mile run during gym class, running came naturally to Lopez who described his childhood as “very energetic.”
He joined a club team, Haverhill Elite, in seventh grade. The first year was a feeling-out process for Lopez and not something he took too seriously. In year two, however, his competitive nature took over.
“I’m just a naturally competitive person and I wanted to win everything,” Lopez said. “I kind of learned that if I wanted to be the best, I had to actually put in the time and do all the work.”
In eighth grade, he ran every day and noticed a leap in his performances as a result. Among middle school students, Lopez was running some of the best times in the country.
Other sports escaped Lopez’s radar. He enjoyed soccer and basketball but wanted to push himself individually.
“It’s purely judged on myself and dependent on how well I do personally. I like that more than relying on a baseball or basketball team beside me,” Lopez said.
High school arrived for Lopez, as did the excitement. Despite the initial surprise of how good his competition was, he adjusted after a few weeks. Lopez ran in his first cross country state championship as a freshman.
Lopez is the reigning Catholic Conference Runner of the Year and broke a St. John’s Prep record in the mile (4:16.22).
Despite the accolades, his biggest takeaway from St. John’s Prep is to take his sports seriously, but not overextend. Lopez learned to have more fun at meets and not let the pressure get in his head.
“Just talk with the guys, relax, and make it a fun environment so that myself, and everyone else, is able to have a good time,” Lopez said.
His favorite memory is winning the cross country state championship in 2019, and remembers running back to his team’s tent to open arms and smiling faces.
“Even during the race, nobody thought that we were going to win it, but somehow we pulled it off,” Lopez said.
Narrowing his collegiate destinations to Michigan, Northeastern, North Carolina State, and the University of Pennsylvania, Lopez decided he’d run all the way to Ann Arbor – highlighting Michigan’s strong mix of academics and athletics.
Lopez was looking for a “big school feel” and said he loves the pride and environment of Michigan’s campus. In competition, he’s excited to run at a higher level and see how far he can take his limits.
Despite all of his individual accomplishments, Lopez said it’s the people around him who have made all of the difference.
“I, at this point, thank coaches, family, and friends. Anyone who’s helped me along the way,” Lopez said. “Hopefully I can do some big things this year to put on top of that.”
