Southeast Whitfield’s Aviles signs with Emmanuel University’s cross country, track programs

Published 1:15 pm Friday, December 6, 2024

A standout senior cross country and track athlete for Southeast Whitfield High School, Angel Aviles has accomplished a lot throughout high school, including being a member of Southeast’s 2023 4A Region Championship-winning cross country team.

During a signing party at the school Thursday, Aviles said he will continue his academic career at Emmanuel University while running for the school’s track and cross country programs.

“This is an incredible feeling,” Aviles said, surrounded by teammates, friends and family members. “I’m proud of myself. I’m glad my hard work is finally paying off and I’m just excited to see what I can do from here on out.”

Emmanuel University, a private Christian college in Franklin Springs, is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division II.

Tiffany Evans, one of Aviles’ head cross country coaches at Southeast, said she has seen Aviles progress since first coaching him at Eastbrook Middle School.

“This is particularly special because not only have I gotten to watch him grow up and be a league champion as a middle-schooler, but I’ve also been able to watch him earn a region title and earn region runner-up at Southeast,” Evans said.

Aviles’ 2024 season included several distinctions, such as placing third as an individual in the North Georgia Cross Country League and holding the Region 4A three-mile record for the 2024 school year with a time of 16 minutes and 10.1 seconds.

As a member of Southeast’s boys track team, Aviles, with Kevyn Chavez, Jorge Paredes and Johnny Silverio, set the school record for the 4×800 meters relay this year with a time of 8:24.31.

“It’s hard not to brag about Angel,” Evans said. “He’s a strong academic student and he is a young man of very few words, but he has an excellent work ethic. I’ve really appreciated how much he’s grown as a runner and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future. Signing with a Division II school is really great for our school in general, just seeing what our young Raiders can accomplish.”

Todd Close also mentors Aviles as a head coach for Southeast’s cross country program.

“He went and toured (Emmanuel), got to make up his own mind and he made that commitment,” Close said. “What he’s been through here, that’s the next level. I’m excited for him.”

Close said Aviles lets his running do the “talking.”

“I think he was really lucky to be with the group of teammates that he was with for so long because they would constantly push each other and it showed him he had to work hard and not just sit back,” he said. “I’m hoping he’s learned that here and will keep that going into college, so when he’s up there he’s going to be the one passing people if they’re not working hard enough.”

Evans, who teaches math at Southeast, said it has been a “pleasure” to know Aviles as a runner and a student.

“He was our lead runner for many of our competitions this season,” she said. “I’m so excited for him and his future because it’s very, very bright.”

After visiting several colleges during his senior year, Aviles said he knew Emmanuel was the right choice almost immediately.

“As soon as I visited, I just had a gut feeling that this was the place,” he said. “The cross country coach (Jesse Kemmerer) and the staff there is just amazing. It was the right decision for me, I feel like.”

Aviles said he gives credit to his coaches at Southeast for his success.

“They have helped me grow not only as an athlete but academically as well,” he said. “They’ve also helped me reach out to coaches, too. So, I have to give a big thanks to them.”