Most competitive runners take years of practice to reach the top of their class, but Sean Trott is excelling four years after picking up the sport.

Trott, 19, a junior at Lancaster Bible College, is dominating the competition in cross-country this season, winning four of six races. He is known to push to the front at the start of each race and pull away from every opponent who has tried to take him down. The health and physical education major from Bermuda is adding more awards to a running career that has seen him compete over the last two summers with the Bermuda Junior National team in various international meets.

Trott did not start running competitively until he was 15, picking up long-distance running after noticing how much fun it was to race neighborhood friends.

"I decided to explore the sport and trained myself," Trott said. "I had my breakthrough when I decided to hire a coach."

When Trott finished high school in Bermuda, he started looking at small colleges with biblical studies and a track program. He had a family connection to Lancaster, checked out the school, and fell in love with the area.

"I love the land and people and decided to come here," Trott said.

The five-mile cross-country course was something that took a period of adjustment for Trott.

"Our running at home was done on roads," he said. "It is a big transition as my coach is different and he has a different training style."

Trott, who spends summers in Bermuda and the rest of the year in Lancaster, admitted the first year of cross-country at LBC was a steep learning curve. He did not win any races, spending the year learning how to pace himself and get in better shape.

"I used to go too hard at the start and tire out," he said. "Now I can go hard from start to finish. I am faster and stronger and a better judge of what I can do."

Last year Trott started strong but wore out at the end of the season, his fitness level having already peaked. This season, though, he admitted he has exceeded what he thought he would accomplish.

"I had a goal of breaking 26 minutes, and I ran a 25:40 in the race I lost to the guy [Steve Tobochnik] from Johns Hopkins," Trott said. "Now I want to try and reach close to 25 minutes. I want to get back to the NCCAA Championship and take first place."

Trott, who beat the top runners from Franklin & Marshall and Millersville in a meet Oct. 11, said he is doing it by improving his stamina.

"I have been increasing my mileage in practice so I can go strong all five miles," he said.

Last season was Trott's first chance to attend the National Christian College Athletic Association championship. He finished third, earning All-American status in only his third year participating in cross-country.

Now his goal is the top spot, something head coach Dennis Ray said he expects from his star at the Nov. 14 event in Cedarville, Ohio.

"I am absolutely confident he will win," Ray said. "He has the potential and has put in the work to prepare for that goal."

Trott continues to train and compete with the Bermuda Junior National team over the summer. Next year, when he turns 20, he will move to the senior level, where he admits competition is tougher. He will run half marathons around the globe for Bermuda.

"Summers in Bermuda are very hot and more humid than here," he said. "Hydration is a big deal and a key to success over there."

Trott has earned top-five finishes in international competition in the half marathon. He also took a third this summer in an event in Cuba.

The half-marathon distance prepares him for the goal he has when his college eligibility runs out after the 2010-11 season.

"I want to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio in the marathon," Trott said. "I will start developing those skills more when I graduate. I excel at longer distances and think if I can keep improving, I can match the world's best."

Ray, who is in his first year as coach at LBC, feels Rio de Janeiro is a realistic goal for Trott.

"As he matures as a runner, he has the potential to move up to that level," Ray said. "He is a great kid who is very humble. He is encouraging to the rest of the team and a joy to be around, though he is ready to work when it is time. His faith comes in with his work ethic and willingness to help support runners on every team."

Trott who won one meet by two minutes this year and another by 45 seconds, said he still has some goals to meet before his college career ends. He wants his team be a force next year in NCAA Division III, which they will join next year.

"We have a lot of good, young runners," Trott said. "I want us to compete and place as a team."

He also hopes to keep lowering his times and ultimately break the 25-minute mark.

"I hope to go undefeated for the season next year," he said.

 Trott said he still finds it hard to believe how much he has accomplished.

"I saw people run 27 minutes when I was a freshman and never thought I'd make that time," he said. "God has kept me getting better and allowed me to take advantage of my ability. I am proud of what I have done."

LBC's next meet will be the Battle of the Buggy Saturday, Oct. 24, at Lancaster County Central Park. Millersville, Elizabethtown are among the other teams in the meet. The women's race is at 10:30 a.m., the men's race at 11:15 a.m.