Youth Athlete of the Month: David Whang

story by  LIESEL SCHMIDT  |  photography courtesy of  D1 Training Alexandria

Over the past year training with D1 Training Alexandria, David Hwang has honed his mind and body to become a better athlete, a stronger baseball player and a more focused competitor. The 13-year-old attends Veritas Collegiate Academy and has been coming to D1 to improve his game since the fall of 2022.

“I love playing sports and being an athlete because it challenges me to go to the next level and push myself beyond it to achieve greater things.” - David

“I came to D1 because I wanted to become a better athlete and wanted to challenge myself,” says Hwang, who is a catcher on the team he plays for—though he also loves to play basketball and soccer. “The trainers and I work on speed and strength as well as ways to improve my overall conditioning. During the time I have been training with them, I have seen definite gains in my speed, agility and power. I have also learned more about my body and how to use it with greater force and efficiency.”

As the young athlete continues to train with the pros at D1, Hwang has future goals that he strives to meet. “I want to become even stronger and faster than I am now and learn ways to avoid injuries through my conditioning.”

Hwang is clearly dedicated to his training. That dedication is rooted in deep passion. “I love playing sports and being an athlete because it challenges me to go to the next level and push myself beyond it to achieve greater things,” Hwang says. “I also like working with a family-like team and having fun with them.”

In his downtime, Hwang’s hobbies include watching movies, visiting new places with his friends and family, drawing and painting. As he works toward his dream of playing baseball for Stanford University and going on to be drafted by a major league team, he has the love and support of the two strong women raising him—his mother and grandmother. “They have greatly helped me pursue my goals and I’m so grateful for them.”

The eighth grader is a well-rounded, straight A student who enjoys school. If hard pressed to choose just one subject as his favorite, it would be math. “Solving difficult problems and deep thinking are my favorite parts of math.”