Chamberlain’s del Monte commits to FSU

Posted Jan 13, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Jan 13, 2012 at 01:56 PM

Chamberlain senior Max del Monte, a former winner of the Tampa Tribune’s Runner of the Year award for cross country, has made a verbal commitment to Florida State University.

A four-year all-county performer and two-time winner of the county championships, del Monte was the state runner-up in cross country for Class 3A last season. In track last spring, he was the state runner-up for the 1,600-meter run. He owns a personal best in the 1,600 of 4 minutes, 12.51 and, in the 3,200, 9.25.41.

He said his finalists were FSU and Oklahoma State but chose the Seminoles after an official visit to Tallahassee and a meeting with head track and cross country coach Bob Braman, who is a Tampa native and Chamberlain graduate. In fact, Braman grew up in the same Carrollwood neighborhood as del Monte’s mother, Christine.

“Towards the end (of the recruiting process), a lot of doors opened that I couldn’t have imagined, including one to coach Braman,” said del Monte. “He’s just a great coach and Tallahassee is a beautiful place to be.”

Another major factor about FSU for del Monte was the fact the track and cross country programs are among the strongest in the nation. The Seminoles have won three national titles in men’s track and were among the nation’s top-ranked men’s and women’s cross country squads last fall.

“I wanted to be part of a big program and FSU is a place where I think I can achieve my goals,” del Monte said. “And, really, it felt like the right place for me as a person, not just from a running side.”