Tuohy's steady rise takes her to pinnacle at NXN

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

PORTLAND -- Katelyn Tuohy took big strides forward this fall as a sophomore at North Rockland NY, but her status as a bold and confident competitor has been established for nearly three years. 

Tuohy grew and became stronger since last spring and began to uptick her mileage and her cross-training workouts under coach Brian Diglio.

On Saturday, Tuohy blasted through the wet grass at Glendoveer Golf Course and went through the first mile in 5:06. She was soon out of sight by her competitors and she chased after the course record, which she got with 16:44. She won Nike Cross Nationals by 40 seconds -- 12 better than Brie Oakley's wide margin in 2016.

"It was really exciting," she said. "I went out a little fast to let my competitors know this was my race and wanted to lead from the gun."

Tuohy has been laying waste to cross country course records through the fall. She smashed the Manhattan Invitational record at Van Cortlandt Park by 30 seconds. She beat records at Bear Mountain and Bowdoin Park and Wayne State. 

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Tuohy revealed Saturday evening that her coach, Brian Diglio, had been contacted during the season by a Foot Locker representative about the possibility of runnng in both championships. But the decision was made to not budge from the original plan. She is due a much-needed chance to rest and recover because New Yorkers hit the indoor circuit hard come January. 

Nevertheless, Tuohy would love to have a race sometime with reiging Foot Locker champion Claudia Lane, who has been torching course records in California this fall -- part of a compelling bi-coastal can-you-top-this storyline. 

"I would love to race her and get some good competition," Tuohy said of Lane. "She's a great runner and it would be a pretty good matchup."

Tuohy is the third sophomore to win the title, joining Chelsey Sveinsson of Texas in 2008 and Sarah Baxter from California in 2011. She is the first New Yorker to win the title and first from the East coast since Ashley Higginson of New Jersey in 2006. She is also the first NXN champion to be born post-9/11.

On Saturday, it was hard to imagine anyone beating Tuohy. 

She has gone from 49th to 13th to first in three years at NXN, but Tuohy's wealth of competitive experience goes far beyond that. 

In Februrary of 2015, the 12-year-old seventh grader with a blond ponytail and braces, ran 4:36.57 at The Armory in a Section I State Qualifier and broke the state seventh-grade record in the 1,500 meters. 2015 INTERVIEW

Already, she had the look of Jordan Hasay -- small, courageous and talented.

Tuohy heard those comparisons and took them to heart. She enjoyed the intensity of the competition at The Armory and Penn Relays and New Balance Nationals and thrived on it. 

Later in the spring of 2015, she was on a North Rockland distance medley relay squad that placed third at New Balance Nationals Outdoor. 

As an eighth grader, Tuohy anchored North Rockland to a national record in the distance medley relay at New Balance Nationals Indoor. Tuohy split 4:53.44.

In Greensboro, N.C. later that spring, Tuohy held off Great Oak's star senior, Destiny Collins, on the anchor leg of the distance medley relay at New Balance Nationals Outdoor. Her team won again. Tuohy split 4:45.78.

Last winter as a freshman, Tuohy ran 2:47.86 to break Mary Cain's freshman class national record in the indoor 1,000 meters. She finished two-tenths of a second behind Jessica Lawson in an epic New York state championship 1,500 meters -- 4:25.66 to 4:25.86.

At the Penn Relays, Tuohy split 4:50.73 to bring her team back and North Rockland won the Girls Distance Medley Relay Championship of America.

She won the mile at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in 4:45.95. She won the New York state title in the 1,500 in 4:18.51. 

All of it, for three years, has been growth and progress. She has been incredibly successful since she was 12. Running against elite older runners, and with her older brother, Patrick, has accelerated her improvement.

And so far, she just keeps getting better.