Futsum Zeinasellassie
North Central High School
Impact Statement
“For me, being in all these places, it taught me to be very humble and to be myself; to be proud of whom I am.” -Futsum Zeinasellassie
Biography
As a freshman, the 5-foot-8 Zeinasellassie finished second at the cross country state meet, seventh at the Foot Locker National Championships, and won the 3,200-meter track and field state title. He became Indiana’s third three-time cross country state champion last fall by running the 5,000 meters in 14:48.8, a course record, winning the race by 44 seconds.
Zeinasellassie is a two-time Foot Locker Nationals runner-up, won the Nike Cross Nationals in 2011 in a course-record 15:02.41, and was named the Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year and the National Boys Senior Athlete of the Year by xcnation.com.
This spring, he won the 3,200 in the prestigious Arcadia (Calif.) Invitational in 8:47.75, breaking a 37-year-old record for the fastest time by an Indiana runner and recording the nation’s fastest time in the event this year according to dyestat.com.
A native of Eritrea, who emigrated to the United States at the age of 14, Zeinasellassie has maintained a B average in the classroom. A devoted member of his church community, where his father is a pastor, he has volunteered with youth track programs and raised funds to benefit a school in Kenya. He will attend Northern Arizona University, where his older brother, Bahlbi Gebreyohanns, is a sophomore member of the cross country team.
While running at Northern Arizona, Zeinasellassie qualified all four years for the NCAA’s. He finished 31st, 4th, 3rd and 4th respectively.
Since graduating, Zeinasellassie continues to train and run professionally.
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