West Virginia Sophomore Place Ninth At Champs Sports Cross Country Finals After Winning U-18 International Mountain Running Cup In Italy Over Summer

By Mary Albl of DyeStat 

The legendary steep hill and sharp descent of San Diego’s Balboa Park cross country course didn’t seem to faze Alyssa Sauro. 

“It was kind of a normal course for me,” she said. 

The sophomore from Williamstown, W.V., handled her first Champs Sports Cross Country National Championship race with ease Dec. 10, finishing in ninth place on the 5-kilometer layout in 17 minutes, 39.2 seconds to earn All-American status. 

“Well, in West Virginia there’s not too many flat places,” her high school coach Mike Taylor said. “We have very big hills, so to speak – mountains – and we do a lot of training in the mountains.”

It makes sense Sauro hails from “the Mountain State.”

Nearly six months prior to running in San Diego, Sauro won the U-18 International Mountain Running Cup in Saluzzo, Italy. Adventurous and gritty challenges are nothing new to her. 

“Early in her running career it became very clear that she didn't like to lose and was eager to learn how to do better,” Taylor said. 

So how did Sauro end up racing in the mountains of Italy last summer? 

“Someone nominated me for it and I was honestly nervous for it,” Sauro said. “At first I was like, ‘I don't know how I’m going to do this, but after I did it, oh my gosh, it was really exciting.” 

CHAMPS SPORTS POST-RACE INTERVIEW

Sauro began running in the sixth grade and also played basketball, but mountain running was never on her bucket list. Taylor explained that his brother, Steve Taylor, who is the coach at the University of Richmond, and also an 11-time West Virginia State High School Champion (cross country and track) suggested the race. 

“My brother Steve made us aware of the opportunity to apply for the (U-18) USA Mountain Running Team,” Taylor said. “Thankfully she was selected as one of the four girls to represent the USA team.”

Along with Victoria Rodriguez (Seven Valleys, Pa.), Rosie Mucharsky-O’Boyle (Denver) and Milaina Almonte (Edwards, Colo.), the four were announced in May and set to race June 26. Taylor explained the training leading up the race in Saluzzo consisted of trail running in the nearby Wayne National Forest: 2x1 mile hill repeats on a 9 percent grade hill, and lots of stair running to prepare for the 4.4-kilometer course that went through the town and into the foothills in the shadow of Monviso, the highest mountain in Italy’s Piedmont Region.

“My coaches and family, they told me I really can do this and I’m capable of being really good at this,” Sauro said. “And I believed in what they told me.”

The trip to Italy was her first out of the country and she made the most of it as she leaned on her West Virginia roots and used a strong kick to separate herself and win the race in 18:03, just two seconds ahead of England’s Rebecca Flaherty.

“We were pretty certain she would do well, but it was a big surprise that she won because there’s very good competition,” Taylor said. “It was a big surprise, but also not a surprise because the bigger the reward the harder she’ll work to achieve it.” 

Since then, Sauro kept the momentum going into cross country season. She was sidelined with a nagging injury for six weeks, but came back eight days before the state meet to win the Class A title by more than 30 seconds and lead Williamstown to a state title. About a month later, Sauro captured 10th place at the Champs South Regional race to qualify for nationals. Taylor said after regionals they spoke about going out too fast in that race and devised a game plan for San Diego. 

“She’s eager to do more and learn more,” Taylor said. “When we first started with her, she was wanting to run every day hard, and it’s been a learning experience. Her confidence to be patient and ability to learn, it’s helped her mature. She’s not the same young lady at the end of freshman year and especially competing in Champs, she’s more mature and confident in her abilities.”

With a plan to stay in the top 20 for the first loop at Balboa Park and then attack the second half of the race, Sauro executed the strategy to perfection as she picked off nine or 10 runners in the last mile and a half to finish ninth. Her effort of 17:39.2 was nine seconds faster than Irene Riggs (NXN champion and Morgantown, W.V. senior) ran on the same course in 2021 as a junior. She was also one of five sophomores to earn All-America honors in San Diego, matching the most ever in a single year in meet history. 

“I’m really thankful (my season) ended the way I wanted,” Sauro said. 

Without an official indoor track season in West Virginia, Sauro will still train for a few bigger races this winter with eyes on New Balance Nationals Indoor in Boston in March. Her first race will be the VA Showcase January 13-14, where she’ll run the 2-mile. Taylor said the way her workouts are going, she’s capable of running about 10:15.

And right now, there aren't any mountain races on the horizon. Only a few banked tracks, and then some flat ones.

"I don’t think (there are more mountain races in the future), but I won’t say never,” Taylor said.