By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka High senior Dominic Baciocco signed on Wednesday with Santa Clara University to run cross country and track, starting in the fall.
He wasn’t always a runner – he began his training on local trails when he was a high school freshman.
Now he holds course records in Sitka and Juneau.
“I went in with pretty much no training at all, and just did the best I could, and I actually really liked it, the coaches, and I liked the team culture,” Baciocco said in an interview.
Although he’s run competitively for only four years, he said that his athletic work ethic goes back much further. In elementary school, he swam with Skylar Moore, who graduated from Sitka High in 2018 and currently swims for the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
“I grew up a swimmer, in elementary school and I did a lot of swimming with her (Moore), and she kind of blew me away with her work ethic and I think that kind of helped me set the tone with seeing what it takes to get to that level,” Baciocco said.
Sitka senior Dominic Baciocco signs with the Santa Clara Broncos, Wednesday, at Sitka High. Behind him from left are Jeremy Strong, SHS track and field coach, his parents, Dr. Jennifer McNichol and Dr. John Baciocco, and SHS cross country coach Shasta Smith. He will run collegiate cross country and track. (Photo provided by Rich Krupa)
He said throughout high school he ran with Skylar McIntyre, SHS class of 2019 and now a runner at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
“Me and him are really close, so pretty much every workout we were pushing each other... we left people behind,” Baciocco said.
Cross country coach Shasta Smith praised Baciocco’s work ethic.
“Dom is the picture of how hard work pays off. That kid is so driven and so motivated and he can figure out how to prioritize his time like nobody’s business,” Smith said.
With his 5k times hovering just over 17 minutes as a sophomore, Smith remembered thinking, “Oh boy, we’re onto something here.”
Baciocco’s standing personal record is 15:56, which is also the course record in Juneau. He holds the local record for the Sitka course as well, 16:12.
Baciocco has continued his training in spite of the latest cold snap.
“The other morning I was driving to school and it was one of those sleety, gross, just yuck mornings, and he was out pounding the pavement,” Smith said.
Baciocco said he’s had an eye on Santa Clara, which competes in NCAA Division I, for some time now, visiting the San Francisco Bay area campus over the summer, and again in November.
The team’s cohesiveness impressed him.
“All the guys on the team were super, super tight, which is kind of unique to that school especially... the guys at Santa Clara were very cohesive as a group and look for team success as more important than individual success.”
Baciocco is uncertain which events he will run, and said “it’s all really what the coach wants, because it all’s just another level of intensity.”
He added that he’s primarily a distance runner, and will likely compete in the 8 kilometer race in cross country.
Coach Smith added that Baciocco “is the first runner out of Sitka to go D1. He deserves it, he’s more focused and dedicated than any kid I’ve coached in a long time.”
“He put in the work with this goal in mind, and consistency pays off,” the coach said.
Despite his love of the sport, Baciocco said that it’s hard both mentally and physically.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if after college I just want to take a little time off of running.”
He plans to study business, and expressed interest in working for some of the tech companies in California.
Asked what he would miss about Sitka, Baciocco didn’t hesitate.
“The people, there’s kind of a unique atmosphere here. And it’s small enough that when I have a good race, when I win a meet... people know about it.”
He moves to California in August.
