For a runner like Grosse Pointe North's David Rochon, no distance seems too far. Since entering high school, the senior has run both track and cross country, and it all started when he joined his older sister, Sophie, who also ran at North, in running.
“My sister joined the cross country team in middle school and had a great experience,” Rochon said, “I started running with her in eighth grade and from there I decided to join the team.”
Rochon hasn't stopped running since, excelling in distance events throughout his high school career. He served as captain of North's boys cross country team in the fall and is now set to cap off his spring by competing in the Division I track and field state championships on Saturday, June 1.
Rochon, who excels at long distance events, will compete at the state meet in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter races. She qualified at the regional meet on Thursday, May 16, taking second place in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4 minutes 36.46 seconds and second in the 3,200 meters with a time of 10 minutes 15.63 seconds.
“I started out running cross country and I knew I wanted to continue running longer distances,” Rochon said of her success in long distance running. “As I tried different events, I realized my strengths were in the mile and two-mile track events.”
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David Rochon, a senior at North High School
This will be Rochon's second consecutive state final appearance. Last season, she qualified in the 3,200 meters, finished 30th at state and finished in the final with a time of 10:22.27.
The seven-second improvement from last year's state final time to her qualifying time for this spring's regional meet shows just how much Rochon has improved in just one year. She hopes to set new personal bests in both events at the state meet this weekend and prove she can compete with the best swimmers in the state, but she doesn't feel ready in 2023.
“(Qualifying for the state meet) is a really meaningful way to cap off my running career,” he said. “I made it to the state meet last year in track and field, but I never really felt ready for that level of competition until this year, so I’m really excited to run at the state meet.”
Not only has Rochon gotten faster over the past year, but she's also improved her mindset when she runs. Before a race, whether it's track or cross country, she has a simple approach: she focuses on what she needs to do and blocks out everything else.
“I try not to think too much about the race itself,” he says, “I'll think about how I'm going to strategize for the race, but I don't get too anxious before the race because I don't want to worry too much about my competitors. When the race comes, I'm usually just ready to go.”
Helping him get faster on the track and cross country courses, as well as develop that tough mentality, are the coaches who have been with Rochon since he became a Norseman, including head cross country coach Diane Montgomery, assistant cross country and track coach Joe Sciaravino and North men's track and field head coach Eric Eplin.
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Rochon qualified for the state track and field finals in two events, the 1,600 meters and the 3,200 meters.
They've been her mentors, not just in running but in life outside of running, and as she prepares to attend Wesleyan University in Connecticut to study physics, she knows the lessons she's learned from her coaches and teammates during her time at North will stay with her long after she graduates.
“They really helped me realize the full potential I had in running, and they also taught me a lot about being a confident person and being dedicated outside of sports,” he said.
Rochon has high praise for her coaches, and they feel the same way about her: They have seen the hard work and dedication she has put into cross country and track over the past four-plus years at the Norsemen, and they know she is set up for continued success.
“I wish we could have a whole team with David Rochon because David is very coachable,” North High School boys cross country head coach Diane Montgomer said, “Not only does he work hard in practice, he does everything he can outside of practice to be the best runner he can be.”
