Lydon, a Texas A&M signee, returns to Hayward Field following runner-up finish at Nike Outdoor Nationals, with the Prairie Ridge graduate and TNT Track and Field Academy standout looking to repeat as 17-18 heptathlon champion

By Cate Peters for DyeStat

Anytime Rylee Lydon steps up to the starting line, stands at the top of the runway, or enters the ring wearing her signature ponytail and a focused look on her face, she has earned the respect from her fellow competitors.

Lydon, a Texas A&M signee, has become a dominant presence in the heptathlon, with the recent graduate of Prairie Ridge High in Illinois boasting impressive personal bests in all seven events.

As a 14.50-second 110-meter hurdler, a 5-9 high jumper, a 35-1.75 shot putter, a 25.09 200-meter sprinter, a 19-9 long jumper, a 90-8.50 javelin thrower and a 2:12.63 800 runner, it is easy to see why Lydon is the No. 3 prep heptathlete in the country this year and the returning USATF National Junior Olympic champion in the 17-18 division representing the Illinois-based TNT Track and Field Academy.

WATCH LIVE WEBCAST JULY 24-30 OF USATF NATIONAL JUNIOR OLYMPIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

The key to Lydon’s success in a competition that tests all aspects of track and field is her mindset and perspective on the sport.

Here are seven reasons why Lydon is well-positioned to succeed July 24-25 in the heptathlon at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.:

Comfortable being unique

Lydon started running track in middle school, and throughout her youth track years was used to competing in four events every week

 “I would consider myself more as a sprinter and jumper” Lydon said, “and I have that whole cross country background.”

With Lydon’s unique combination of skills, TNT Track and Field Academy coach Brandon Stryganek recognized her “strong mentality about the sport” and pitched the idea of the heptathlon after her sophomore season.

“I never wanted to be someone who was…put into a box and labeled as being a specialty event athlete” Lydon said.

So, she thought outside the box and didn’t limit herself to one type of event.

“I wanted to have the ability to be versatile,” she said.

Because of her ability to embrace her many talents, Lydon quickly fell in love with the heptathlon.

Always looking to improve

Lydon experienced success in the heptathlon at the end of her junior season, winning the 17-18 division heptathlon title at the 2022 USATF Junior Olympics in Sacramento with 4,677 points.

She continued the momentum into her senior year, winning a national title in her first pentathlon at the adidas Indoor Nationals in March in Virginia Beach with 3,844 points — an Illinois state record and fifth-highest pentathlon score in U.S. prep history.

While she was happy with the outcome, Lydon focused not on the victory, but on where she could improve.

“In four of the five events I wasn’t super satisfied with how they went,” Lydon said. “(It) was pretty huge what I just did and I have so much more to grow.”

Remaining calm under pressure

Lydon achieved her heptathlon personal-best 5,152 points June 16-17 at Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field.

However, not everything went exactly to form. In the long jump, she scratched her first two attempts and didn’t achieve the mark she wanted on her third jump.

Having been in that situation before, Lydon drew on knowledge from her past experiences and was able to maintain composure throughout her third jump to ensure she was on the mark.

“(I took) a few deep breaths and…even tried to visualize what I want my run up to look like…physically go through the motions of my jump to reiterate how I want things to feel and things to look,” Lydon said.

It was that maturity and composure that allowed Lydon to place second at Nike Outdoor Nationals behind JaiCieonna Gero-Holt of Emerald Ridge High in Washington, the national sophomore class record holder and USATF Under-20 champion.

“You have to be able to move on to the next event no matter what happens,” Stryganek said.

Resilient and relentless

Emotional resilience is a trait in Lydon that Stryganek has continually emphasized. In training, Lydon demonstrates her resilience by not backing down from a challenge.

When she first started training for the hurdles, Lydon said that it was hard for her to shift her mentality from her natural instinct to jump high over the hurdles to shorten the jump for speed. As a result, at the beginning of her training, she encountered several major wipeouts.

“That was kind of really hard to get over mentally and not be afraid going into it,” Lydon said.

But she persevered through her training, learning not to fear the event, and started to see major gains.

Lydon finished fourth in the 100 hurdles final in a wind-legal 14.50 in May at the Illinois 3A state championships. She also won the high jump by clearing 5-9 (1.75m), placed second in the 400 in 55.28 and was runner-up in the long jump at 18-8.75 (5.71m).

“She went from a girl who has never hurdled before to a girl who runs 14-mid in the hurdles,” Stryganek said. “Because of her resilience, she started to see results.”

Conceptualizing skills in training

Stryganek asserts that what makes Lydon stand out in training is “her ability to conceptualize things at a super high level.”

Because of this skill, Lydon is able to “do some of the more fun, intricate things in training,” Stryganek added.

“(We usually) choose a certain skill or certain movement to focus in on that day,” Lydon said of her training. “In the heptathlon, you focus on one thing at a time.”

The same is true for Lydon in practice.

Because of her focus and ability to internalize training concepts quickly, she has been able to see major improvements at practice.

“(The) biggest thing for heptathletes, in general, (is that) you have to really be locked in the whole entire session,” Stryganek said.

Using setbacks to provide fuel

One of the most important things Stryganek has taught Lydon is to appreciate the lows.

“Before, I would struggle with wanting to see results right away or wanting to be having a PR every single meet or every single event, which isn’t really realistic,” Lydon said.

When training with Stryganek, he helps Lydon, “focus on the bigger picture and the developmental side of things rather than the right here and now.”

Focusing on her evolution and maturation in each event has helped Lydon shift her mindset from expecting to improve every week to trusting the process and seeing all the little skills come together when it matters most.

Lydon says Stryganek has helped her become a more level-headed athlete.

“That has allowed me to appreciate the lows that the sport can bring… (to) use them as fuel and learning opportunities rather than get upset about it,” Lydon said.

In the heptathlon, athletes have to be able to bounce back from events that don’t go their way. Lydon’s patience in her training with Stryganek has remained a key to her success.

Loving the sport

When she has been sidelined for brief stretches of her career with minor injuries, Lydon says that is when she realizes she loves the sport the most.

“Once you are healthy again, that makes you want to work harder at it and truly embrace what you’re doing and really just soak it all in and truly enjoy it.” Lydon said.

That is what Lydon plans to do at the USATF Junior Olympic Championships in her return to Hayward Field, looking to give it her all physically, mentally and emotionally during seven events in her final prep heptathlon, before starting the next chapter of her career in the fall with the Aggies in College Station, Texas.

“(I’m going to) have fun with it and soak it all in,” Lydon said.