While many high school students in the Nonahood would love their own moniker or even superlative at some point during their high school years, Alex Shields is known nationally as the “fastest sophomore in the country,” with the fastest time in the 110-meter hurdles (14.07 seconds) of any sophomore nationwide. To add to it, he also had the fifth best long jump nationally of all sophomores at 23 feet, 8¾ inches.

To top off his national accolades, he is a state champion in the 110-meter hurdles, (he won in ninth grade as well), long jump, 300-meter hurdles and 4×400 relay, and his school, The First Academy, won the 1A State Championship in track and field. “That’s a dream come true,” Shields said. “As a sophomore, to win all four events and to win the team title.” Shields has also benefited from his father’s relationship with two-time Olympic gold medal winner Roger Kingdom, whom Shields describes as the best 110-meter hurdler and a great role model for other hurdlers.

Shields and his family have lived in NorthLake Park at Lake Nona since 2009 and have become an integral part of the community. His parents, Brett and Najuma Shields, are not newcomers to track and field. They both ran track at the University of Pittsburgh, and Alex serves as an assistant coach for track athletes at The First Academy. His sister, Mikayla, the 2014 7A Player of the Year in volleyball while at Lake Nona High School, is finishing up her sophomore year at the University of South Carolina as an All-SEC hitter.

Alex attended both NorthLake Park Community School and Lake Nona Middle School before attending The First Academy. His favorite teachers at both schools, Coach Jose at NLP and Coach Hamre at LNMS, were his P.E. coaches who played an important part in his development as an athlete now competing at the state and national levels.

“Me and my sister always had an edge a little bit, getting that from our parents because they knew so much about track and knew how to handle all their success and the attention that came with it,” said Shields. “You can’t ever rest on what you’ve done,” said Alex’s father, Brett. “You have to continue to put good work in and be a student of your sport just as much as a student in the classroom. We continue to impress upon him to keep a level head and be humble because success can be fleeting.”

When speaking with neighbors in NorthLake Park, the word humble seems to be a theme with the entire family. Laura Nemes of NorthLake Park used the word twice when describing the Shields family. When I asked former Lake Nona High School Assistant Athletic Director David Grimm about the Shields family, he responded, “Wow. Great Family. Very humble.”

For all of the accolades that Shields has received on the track, he also excels on the basketball court, where he serves as the team’s point guard. As a freshman, he was able to practice daily on a team that had five Division 1 basketball players.

“Going up against those players every day made me a better basketball player,” said Shields. “Track is the family sport. Track will always be my base, but I’ve always loved playing basketball. Basketball’s the love, but talent-wise, track’s number one.”