Inside Katelyn Tuohy’s championship journey

BY JONATHAN CALIXTE

For many people running is difficult and a strain on the body. Then there’s Katelyn Tuohy, a sophomore at North Rockland High School, for whom running has come quite natural since she started competing in track and field events in middle school.

“I first realized I was going to be a [star] my first year running as a middle schooler,” Tuohy told the Rockland County Times. “I was competing with some of the most elite runners in the state only as a seventh grader. I knew as I got older I would only get better and better.”

Tuohy has done that and then some, smashing records in every event she has competed in this year. The Red Raiders star runner captured individual titles in league and Section I meets, the NYSPHSAA Class A Championship meet, as well as the NYS Federation and Nike East Region meets. Yet Tuohy believes she has yet to reach her full potential. “I don’t feel that I have hit my prime yet,” she says. “I’m still growing and developing, and I know as I grow stronger, my performances will improve.”

People haven’t seen the best of Katelyn Tuohy—she’s only getting warmed up. Tuohy had an exceptional cross country season finishing the season undefeated. Going undefeated in anything is difficult but Tuohy has come out on top again and again.

“In the beginning of the cross-country season, I wasn’t expecting to be undefeated,” Tuohy said. “As the season progressed, I was running very fast times on difficult courses, so around halfway through the season, I was confident that I was going to be undefeated.”

Tuohy credits her supporting cast for her success. “My family, teammates and especially my coach deserve credit for my success,” she told the Rockland County Times. “I train very hard day in and day out to be the successful athlete I am today, but many people don’t see the dedication that my teammates also put into practice, as well as the time and commitment my coach and family puts in every day to make sure I’m staying happy and healthy.”

“As good as she’s been, what’s amazing is this summer her training has gone to a new level,” cross country and track field coach Brian Diglio told LoHud. “As she gets older as a runner and stronger as a runner, we’re able to add more components. Not only has she handled all that but she’s thriving, so I’m super excited to see what the season will bring.”

Being a student athlete is difficult as is juggling any two goals at once.

Tuohy said the two goals have complemented each other so far. “I feel that the drive I have for working hard in practice correlates into my success in the classroom. My coach and parents have always stressed that school comes before running and that it’s very important to have good grades.”

With a bright future ahead, Katelyn Tuohy has full control over her own destiny.

  Katelyn Tuohy, North Rockland, NRHS, NYSPHSAA, track and field