Photography courtesy Nebbia family
AACS senior has his sights set on running for a Division I program
Running records at Annapolis Area Christian School are etched in Jack Nebbia’s brain. Nebbia, a four-year member of the school’s cross-country team, thinks about them all the time. He’s been sharply focused on breaking a few since he saw the numbers on the wall of the school’s gym back in the seventh grade.
Hunter Steinau set one of those records as a senior in 2020—the 3200 meter run. With the way Nebbia improves on his times running year to year, he has a legitimate chance to break it. Nebbia shaved time off his 3200m run from his freshman year to his sophomore year. Things got even better in 2024. He increased his improvement and is second all-time to Steinau. Surpassing the record is even more important than winning championships, including the MIAA title he captured in November of 2024.
“That race helped me see what I am capable of,” Nebbia explains. “It made the record seem a lot closer.”
“I am pursuing it aggressively,” Nebbia says of the record. “I think I will shave more time off because I have done it so much. I think I can shave another big chunk off. My realistic goal is to just break the record.” Nebbia also wants to run in college at the highest level like Steinau, who went to compete for Division I High Point University in North Carolina.
The 5-foot-11. 140-pound Nebbia made a list of eight Division II and Division I schools—including Lees-McRae College, and Longwood and West Liberty universities—he’s considering. He’s after an athletic scholarship. Nebbia carries a weighted 4.1 grade-point average and plans to major in kinesiology.
“He can definitely run in a Division I program,” says AACS Cross Country Coach Kristjana Cook, who also serves as an indoor and outdoor track assistant coach. “It’s because of his drive and dedication—for sure. He is extraordinary. I tell his parents, I know they are his biggest fans, but I am right behind them.”
Nebbia’s determination to meet his goals showed this past summer. He ran 60 miles a week between at school and on the B&A Trail. That’s a 15-mile increase from the summer of 2024. Nebbia hopes the additional training will get him better results.
Nebbia will become a three-sport athlete at AACS for the first time when the school fields its first-ever indoor track team this winter. He’ll run the 600, 800, and the 1,600. Then its onto outdoor track. Nebbia competes in individual and relay events for the Eagles.
“It’s hard for him to get everything he wants to do in a two-hour practice,” AACS Track and Field Coach Madelyn Smith. “So, he will go out and really work on his own. And he’s very coachable. He really listens to everything I have to say.”
And the 17-year-old Nebbia is always looking to get in extra running. He’s raced in Annapolis Striders events throughout high school, and competes in the club’s 5K, 15K, and five-mile races.
“When he runs, it looks like he is floating,” Cook says. “It’s just effortless. He’s always had a great work ethic. What separates Jack from other runners is his attitude. He runs with joy and it’s infectious. Jack is naturally gifted, he really works hard and truly loves cross country,” she adds. “That combination is what makes him so special.”
