Student Athlete of the Week Mia Prok

Mia Prok has enjoyed quite an impressive past few weeks.

First, the senior helped Niwot High School win its sixth straight Class 4A girls cross country state title on Oct. 28. Then, only 11 days later, she signed her national letter of intent to continue her running career at Wake Forest University.

After committing to the Division I Demon Deacons in March of last year, Prok was thrilled to finally make things official.

"It was cool to actually sign the papers and see it in writing," she said.

Running both cross country and track at the college level has long been a goal for Prok. She proactively began contacting college coaches early in her high school career and soon developed a relationship with Wake Forest associate head coach Ashley Bastron. Not long after, she visited the North Carolina college.

"From my first phone call with coach Ashley, they (Wake Forest) stood out because she was so nice and so personable," Prok said. "On my official (visit), I met the girls and the team and they were all so nice and good people. I feel like they were the kind of people that you want to be teammates with. They would build you up and be supportive and everything, so that was really important."

It makes sense that Prok values team chemistry after she witnessed firsthand the success of Niwot's "close-knit" cross country program.

"The team at Niwot is such a special thing that most people don't experience ever in their lives and I may never experience it again," Prok said.

In Prok's final cross country meet as a Cougar, she took sixth individually (18 minutes, 17.2 seconds) at the state championships while her younger sister, sophomore Anna Prok, finished close behind in 10th place.

"I really try to take it in every time and celebrate all the little things," the elder Prok said. "We had the goal of winning state and knew it was possible, of course, but it's always still exciting when it happens."

Prok's fall season is far from complete, however. She's currently running for REAL Training Colorado, a club program led by Niwot track and field head coach Maurice Henriques, in search of a national title.

Her senior track and field season is on deck after that. Prok, who was a member of Niwot's state title-winning 4x400-meter relay team last season, expects to be one of the Cougars' stronger long-distance runners once again.

In addition to helping Niwot secure its fifth straight girls team state track championship, Prok would like to lower her times and qualify for the prestigious Brooks PR Invitational.