HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHT
In the Long Run
By Jordan Cornet
S ince becoming a Highlander, Ashraf Abdelmagid has made a name for himself as one of UCR’s top runners. Originally from Chicago, Abdelmagid is Sudanese and was raised bilingual, speaking Arabic at home. At age 7, his family relocated to the Bay Area, where he spent most of his free time drawing, making videos, and reading — hobbies he continues to enjoy to this day.
Inspired by his older brother, Abdelmagid decided to follow in his footsteps, joining the cross country and track teams in high school. In 2019, he was named the East Bay Athletic League champion in the 1600 meters. This achievement caught the attention of a former UCR assistant cross country coach, who contacted Abdelmagid during the COVID-19 pandemic and offered him the opportunity to run at UCR.
Abdelmagid said his first UCR cross country season didn’t meet his initial expectations, noting he was losing to people he thought he shouldn’t have. A shift came in his second year when he changed his mentality and started focusing more on beating people than the time he was running, he said. Despite missing summer training while recovering from jaw surgery, he placed 13th at the Big West Championships and earned a top-75 finish at the NCAA West Regionals during his second year.
His success continued his third year; he broke UCR’s 5k record at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, placed fourth at the Big West Championships, earned Big West All-Academic honors, and was named NCAA All-West Region after a 22nd-place finish at the NCAA West Regionals. A mechanical engineering major, Abdelmagid hopes to bring his creativity into whatever field he enters after graduating. He is also optimistic about continuing his running career after college, and said he plans to keep running and see where it takes him.
ASHRAF ABDELMAGID
CLASS LEVEL
FOURTH-YEAR
MAJOR
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
SPORTS
CROSS COUNTRY, TRACK AND FIELD
HIGHLIGHTS (2023-24)
- All-Big West and NCAA West Regionals participant in both track and field and cross country
- Earned UCR Athletics’ No. 1 moment from 2023-24 after being named All-NCAA West Region
- Broke the program’s 41-year-old indoor 5k record in December 2023
- Big West All-Academic and Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll
Focus on yourself. People will always tell you things, but no one knows you better than yourself. It’s important to figure out what works for you.”
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Return to UCR Magazine: Fall 2024