Determination and devotion lead Hermanson to record-setting season; plus six more make the all-area team
-
Suwannee’s Ryleigh Hermanson is the LCR’s Girls Runner of the Year. (COURTESY)
LIVE OAK — Ryleigh Hermanson is a natural when it comes to running.
For instance, Suwannee girls cross country coach Amy Bullock could tell Hermanson to run a certain pace during practice and the freshman would hit the mark on the nose.
But in earning the Lake City Reporter’s Girls Runner of the Year award for 2022, Hermanson displayed more than just her natural ability. Rather, she combined it with determination and devotion to enjoy a record-setting freshman campaign.
“I hate to say it but she comes from a running family,” Bullock said about what made Hermanson such a standout as a freshman. “It’s a running powerhouse.”
Hermanson certainly was a powerhouse for the Bulldogs this season. While just starting her high school career, she helped SHS qualify for regionals as a team with an 18th-place finish at the District 1-2A meet in 21:47.10.
Then, on the bigger stage, Hermanson came up large again with an area-best time and an SHS school mark of 20:50.30 to place 34th in Region 1-2A.
It was a mark that the young runner had been pushing for and striving for most of the season. Early during the fall slate, Bullock put the record in front of Hermanson as a goal.
It worked to motivate Hermanson.
“When I found out I could potentially be the record breaker for almost a decade, I really wanted to do that,” she said. “I kept pushing myself. Every practice I practiced harder. And every race I would get a couple seconds faster.”
Bullock, though, said she may have put the carrot out there a bit too early.
“She was upset every race when she didn’t do it and I knew she was going to, but it had to be the right race,” Bullock said, describing Hermanson as “super, super motivated.”
That right race finally came at the regional meet.
“It was, honestly, amazing,” Hermanson said of running down the school mark.
She doesn’t plan to stop there.
After also finishing in the top-5 at the Suwannee County Invitational, Bradford Invitational and Alligator Lake Invitational, Hermanson’s sights are now set on running sub-20-minute races, which would be new school marks.
“That’s my goal,” she said.
Bullock added: “That would be extremely impressive.”
Even if she doesn’t get there, Bullock has no doubt Hermanson, who she said is “just on a different level,” will continue to break her own record next year.
Then, Hermanson’s younger sister, Olivia, will hit high school and the race will be on.
“When her sister gets there, she’ll be completing with her sister to stay there basically,” Bullock said, adding the two compete during fun runs around the area with Olivia normally coming out on top.
Still, Bullock first knew the school record was in jeopardy a year ago, when Ryleigh Hermanson was still in middle school herself.
At Suwannee’s home meet, there was no middle school division. So the Suwannee Middle (Suwannee SPEED) runners had to run the 5K with the varsity rather than their own 3K race. Hermanson responded with a run around 21 minutes.
“That’s when I knew,” Bullock said. “Obviously she was special at the middle school level but that’s different world when you have to run a farther distance.
“Then by her second race of this season you could tell she was going to be there. It was just a matter of when.”
Waiting for that time, though, wasn’t easy for the young runner. Bullock said frustration mounted with even some discussion of quitting at times.
It was all part of the maturation and growing process, Bullock said.
“All she wants to do is every race just be better,” Bullock said. “I had to have realistic conversations with her that every race cannot be your best. It would be amazing if every race you cut off 30 seconds, but that’s not reality.”
In addition to different courses or weather that could impact one’s run, there’s also just days when people don’t feel their best. In fact, Bullock said Hermanson has complained of ankle pain and other ailments that runners deal with.
That is one of the coach’s top concerns moving forward is how to keep her precocious talent healthy for the rest of her career.
One thing that doesn’t concern Bullock, though, is one of the skills that is hardest to teach: knowing your pace.
While they try to work on pace with their runners, Bullock admitted it’s a hard skill to develop and pick up. For Hermanson, it seems to come naturally.
Which means she knows when to push harder during a race or to even slow down to not overly exert herself too early.
“I think that’s probably what makes her special when it comes to competition,” Bullock said.
ALL-AREA TEAM
Ryleigh Hermanson
Suwannee, freshman
The LCR’s Girls Runner of the Year placed 18th at the District 1-2A meet (21:47.10) to help the Bulldogs qualify for regionals, where she placed 34th in Region 1-2A with an area-best time of the season at 20:50.30. Hermanson posted top-5 finishes at the Suwannee County Invitatioinal (third), Bradford Invitational (third) and Alligator Lake Invitational (fourth).
Audrey Fender
Columbia, senior
Placed 21st at the District 2-3A meet with a season-best time of 21:17.90 to qualify for regionals, where she placed 64th in Region 1-3A (22:56.80). Fender won the Tiger Run and had top-5 finishes at the Suwannee County Invitational (fourth) and Bradford Invitational (fourth) as the Tigers’ top runner this season.
Brianna Woods
Suwannee, freshman
Placed 27th at the District 1-2A meet (22:19.90) and then 51st at the Region 1-2A meet with a season-best 21:54.80. Woods posted top-10 finishes at the Bradford Invitational (sixth), Suwannee County Invitational (seventh) and St. John Paul II Panther Invite (10th).
Lacey Hermanson
Suwannee, junior
Placed 32nd at the District 1-2A meet (22:58.40) and then 59th at the Region 1-2A meet with a season-best time of 22:05.20. Hermanson posted a best finish of seventh at the Bradford Invitational.
Alondra Castro
Suwannee, junior
Placed 35th at the District 1-2A meet with a season-best time of 23:11.70 and then 81st at the Region 1-2A meet (23:35.40). Castro posted a best finish of 10th at the Bradford Invitational.
Maria Ramirez
Suwannee, senior
Placed 41st at the District 1-2A meet (23:38.20) and then 82nd at the Region 1-2A meet (23:41.90). Ramirez ran a season-best time of 23:20.10 at the FSU Pre-State race and had a best finish of 20th at the Suwannee County Invitational.
Kalyn Osgood
Branford, freshman
Was Branford’s most consistent runner this season, placing 37th at the District 3-1A meet (24:54.60) to help the Buccaneers qualify for regionals where she then finished 70th at the Region 1-1A meet with a season-best time of 23:52.60. Osgood had a best finish of third at the Trenton Tiger Run.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Amy Bullock, Suwannee
Bullock led the Bulldogs to fifth place at the District 1-2A meet where all seven runners placed in the top 50, good enough to send the entire team on to regionals. Bullock’s squad was runner-up at Suwannee County Invitational and Bradford Invitational, placed third at the St. John Paull II Panther Invite, and placed fourth at the Alligator Lake Invitational.