Hurricane’s Ty Steorts crosses the finish line to win the Class AAA 3200 meter run at the West Virginia track and field state championships at Laidley Field in Charleston, Friday, May 17, 2024.
Hurricane’s Ty Steorts crosses the finish line to win the Class AAA 3200 meter run at the West Virginia track and field state championships at Laidley Field in Charleston, Friday, May 17, 2024.
Hurricane distance runner Ty Steorts has pieced together an impressive prep career in both cross country and track and field for the Redskins.
Steorts capped off an impressive cross country season last fall by finishing first in the Class AAA state meet with a time of 15:11.48.
Steorts even had a historic Class AAA state track meet performance in Charleston by posting a 4:07.75 time in winning the 1600 meters.
The Redskin distance runner’s 2024 campaign was recognized by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association as the McCoy Male Track Athlete Award recipient.
He’s the second consecutive runner from Putnam County to win this award, joining last year’s winner, Brayden Marshall from Winfield.
“Hearing that I won made me really excited,†Steorts said. “I’m happy to receive this award. It’s great for the community. I was just happy to show out and do this for the community.â€
Steorts has been ultrasuccessful in just about any form of racing in high school athletics.
He’s displayed that countless times in meets, especially in the Mountain State.
Steorts said that there’s no true science behind running as effectively as he has during his career.
“It really just comes down to the repetition,†Steorts said. “You have to train smart. You can’t run 100 miles a week, then take time off. You have to do the workouts. You have to take those recovery days. You have to eat and sleep right.â€
The Redskins have produced a plethora of talented runners, with Steorts being the latest to add his name to that list.
Redskins track coach Jimmy Cunningham has been around Steorts since his middle school days.
Cunningham has seen firsthand how talented a runner Steorts is.
“The thing that separates Ty is his work ethic,†Steorts said. “He works and trains hard. He follows the workouts, but he also has input in his workouts. He wants to get better and will do anything it takes to get better. I’ve enjoyed watching his progress.
“It’s been fun to watch him develop, not only as a runner, but as a man. You can tell how much passion he has for running.â€
Steorts announced a while back that he’s continuing his running career at the University of Tennessee.
“He’s going to fit in well there,†Cunningham said. “He’s going to be able and step in and immediately contribute. The thing I’ve enjoyed watching about Ty the most is how his leadership has progressed and taking the young runners under his wing.â€
Steorts doesn’t want to look too far ahead to his time in Knoxville, Tennessee.
However, he knows once he walks across the stage for graduation, then it’s go time for college.
“It does feel like it’s all happening so quick, especially the senior cross country season,†Steorts said. “I’m excited to get to Knoxville at the same time, though. I’m excited to race and see what I can do over there. It’s going to be great.â€
Steorts will look to defend his crown in the 1600 this upcoming spring in the state meet. He’s aware that there’s a target on his back, but Steorts embraces that as competition and a spark to get better.
“The excitement level is high going into the track season,†Steorts said. “I have a few indoor races that I have to get in before we reach the outdoor season. I’ll be up in New York City for a big one. I’d love to get a new personal best mile time and get it around 3:59.
“I also want to work on my 2-mile time and get that 8:30 and lower. Those are two good goals for me this season.â€
The Redskins runner is not quite ready to hang up the shoes on his high school career.
He’s prepared to take advantage of every opportunity and leave a legacy that younger runners will hope to join.
Taylor Kennedy covers sports. He can be reached at 304-348-7935 or tkennedy@hdmediallc.com. Follow @ on Twitter.
