Ellie Barada plays soccer in the fall while Caleb Winders runs cross country, but they both ended up at the same finish line earlier this week.
Bloomington’s all-time middle distance standouts who both won IHSAA 800-meter and 3,200 relay state titles last spring announced their verbal commitments to the University of North Carolina via Instagram posts. South’s Barada beat North’s Winders to the punch by a few days.
But both said they came by their decisions independently. UNC was an early suitor for Winders and was on the top of his list for a while. His other finalists were Oregon, Washington and Indiana.
Barada’s final four included Princeton, Michigan and Oregon. The pair took advantage of all their official visits to help them come to their decisions.
“We took the process very separately,” Barada said. “We have different things that are important to us, so I tried to stick to what was true to myself and I just wanted him to go wherever he felt was best. But I guess it says a lot about UNC as a program.”
Barada was recently tabbed to join the Nike Elite program, while Winders was named to New Balance’s version. Both started hearing from coaches as sophomores when the recruiting window opened, but they waited until after their junior years to lock in on their college plans, hoping big performances would open more doors.
Their cross-country indoor tour was a big help in propelling them to new heights, along with school records and a handful of state medals for Barada and for Winders, a runner-up team finish as well.
“End of sophomore year, I started talking to IU and UNC and I just developed a great relationship with them,” Winders said. “This summer, after I ran a 1:46, I started talking to Oregon and Washington. I felt like those were the four schools for me.
“It was a hard decision from there. Mostly it’s a place where I could see myself growing to be the best version of myself I can be. I feel like UNC, that was perfect. That’s their exact goal for me. We clicked pretty well.”
This winter, Winders saw Tar Heel runner Ethan Strand set a collegiate record for the indoor mile with a 3:48.32.
“I love the coaches and trust the program,” Winders said. “Everyone there is ambitious. I love their program.
“Chapel Hill and North Carolina in general, I just feel like it’s the perfect place. I really love campus and love all the guys (on the team). They made me feel like home.”
Barada’s visit brought out the same vibes.
“It was definitely a learning experience,” Barada said. “It’s a big, long process and I feel like I learned so much. It was fun, but I was so ready to be done with it by the end.
“It kind of started the June after my sophomore year. It was a really difficult decision. But I just feel like North Carolina, I really, really like the coaches. They have a similar mindset to me and my goals, and I just think their distance program is really good and is going to continue to grow.”
Both love the idea of being able to train outdoors year-round. UNC was the whole package for Barada, who has not been a serious runner as long as Winders has been.
“Academics was important for me, so that was going to be up there,” Barada said. “And North Carolina is very, very good academically, and so are the other schools I was looking at.
“And then just a place that is going to know how to train someone like me, coming from a background of not much running and coming from soccer. Also, I was really looking to be surrounded by people who have similar goals and ambitions. I felt like that at all the places, but I really connected with the girls at UNC and I felt like I would work really well with them.”
Both lost track of how many schools reached out to them, especially after what they accomplished last season, indoors and out. They’re glad the process is over with and they can focus on the rest of their fall seasons.
“Ellie committed first,” Winders said. “We weren’t trying to go to the same school, but it’s kind of lucky that it worked out that way. So that’s awesome. And I know she loves it.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington track stars Ellie Barada, Caleb Winders find ‘perfect place’ for college
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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