Freedom High School distance runner, Will Alpaugh, has made a verbal commitment to the University of Richmond as his college choice for the 2016-2017 school year.

“It took a lot of research,” Alpaugh said.

The Patriot senior was looking for a Division I school where he could run cross country.

“I talked to the coach over the summer, and had an official visit over the weekend [in October],” said Alpaugh.

The University of Richmond men’s cross country team is coached by Steve Taylor, who just completed his 14th season with the Spiders.

“I felt like I fit in there,” Alpaugh said. “The coach is a really friendly guy, and he treats each person individually. He looks at their strengths.”

The men’s team is relatively small with a roster of 11, and there were three other recruits in addition to Alpaugh.

“The coach’s goal is to get to nationals in two years,” Alpaugh said.

Alpaugh plans to major in business administration, international business, or finance.