Discipline, dedication fuel Principe's rise in R.I.

By Mary Albl for DyeStat

RHODE ISLAND -- David Principe Jr. has been running and racing for a long time. 

Long before he was a high school star, "DJ" was serious about this. Seven years ago this fall he won the Boston Mayors Cup 10-and-under race.  

“I remember seeing his name in the paper back when he was seven or eight years old,” La Salle Academy cross country coach Ken Skelly said. “He's been around for so long.”

Principe (pronounced Prin-CIP-ee) grew up with the sport – tagging along to watch his dad, David, race – and inadvertently soaking up the running environment and culture throughout the years. 

“That running community, his father, they instilled a drive in him that's just incredible,” Skelly said. “He turned into a fearless runner at a very young age.”

Flash forward to the fall of 2016 and Principe has transformed into one of the best and brightest in the country. 

The La Salle senior, who recently committed to Stanford University, said the years of preparation made the transition to high school seamless. 

“It's a big testament to my middle school coach and my dad taking it step by step,” he explained. “We never made big jumps in mileage or big jumps in excessive training. It kept me healthy and gradually built me up to where I was ready for high school training the second I came into high school.”

Skelly recalls the 5-foot-1, 110-pound freshmen as not only an experienced runner but someone with a maturity and confidence beyond his years. 

“The mindset was something that blew us away,” Skelly said. “He was almost like a mini coach. To watch someone be a role model to older kids was quite impressive. He doesn't mind taking chances.”

The 2013 cross country season saw Principe claim the Rhode Island Freshman state title and finish in the top five at the class and state meets,and place ninth at New Englands. 

He followed that with a solid indoor and outdoor track campaign that included a 10th place finish in the 2-mile at the New England Indoor championships, running 9:27.90 in a loaded and veteran field.    

“He knows every little detail to training and all the x's and o's that go into the sport,” Skelly said. “He just adapted so quickly.”

Described as a detail-oriented individual, meticulous to the core, Principe credits those characteristics to his passion for karate, a sport he started when he was almost 3 years old. 

“It's always been disciplined and very mentally taxing,” Principe explained. “I feel that it must have been 10 or 11 years of karate that turned me into the disciplined person.”

For his first three years at La Salle, Principe had the added bonus of running with All-Americans Jack Salisbury and Matt Bouthillette. The three made up arguably the best high school trio in the nation last year. 

Principe said the three were not only friends and every day competitors, pushing each other at practice, but the two older runners gave him the confidence to go after his goals. 

Now, with Salisbury and Bouthillette both freshmen at Georgetown, it's just Principe. But that hasn't changed his committed attitude. 

After winning the outdoor New Balance National 5,000 meters title in June and attending the Nike Elite Camp in Oregon, Principe has been just as focused this fall. 

“We have a solid group of guys, and they are all working just as hard,” he said. “Whatever I can do to help, if I can make them better, they are going to make me better.”

And if it's possible, Principe has only gotten better. On Sept. 24, he set a course and meet record at the Bowdoin Classic in Wappinger Falls, N.Y, clocking 15:23.3. 

A week later, he was runner-up (14:32.4) at the Great American Festival in North Carolina. Brodey Hasty of Tennesse edged him out for the win in 14:32.2. 

Skelly said sharpening Principe's finishing kick has been a focal point of his training this fall. 

“My personality, I've sort of always been someone who doesn't really like to sit back and let things happen. I like to make them happen,” Principe said. 

While it's been an exciting individual cross country season, Skelly said Principe's dedication to the team is what makes him so relatable and a born captain. 

“The character trait of harmony among teammates is so important to him,” Skelly said. “He's a happy kid who loves to laugh, listen to music and everything like that. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference (between) him any other kid on the team.”

Principe will compete at the class and state meets the next two weeks. On Nov. 12, the senior will have the rare opportunity to run the New England Championships in his home state at Ponaganset High in North Scituate, a course located roughly 10 minutes from him. 

“It was something where two years ago when we were looking at the schedule and the rotation would end up being in Rhode Island his senior year … you couldn't have asked for a better ending to running in Rhode Island and running at our home course your senior year,” Skelly said. “He knows that course like the back of his own hand and it should be fun.”