Tyler, take us through your Nike National meet experience. What were you expecting going into the mile?
Going in to the mile, I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was that everyone in my heat was going to be very fast. I just wanted to go with the flow of the race and make sure that I did what it took to get a big PR and possibly win my heat. I had nothing to lose. It was a great race for me and I was able to come away with the PR and win my heat.
Our DMR relay came to NIN with one goal in mind and that was the indoor state record of 10:57. It’s a race that we don’t get to run that much and we had been disqualified in our attempt earlier this season at Yale so this was our last opportunity. Princely, Kyle, Diamere and I really wanted to make the most of it. I ran the 1600 meter leg in 4:21 which really raised my confidence for the mile a couple days later. Everyone knew what they had to do and it was a really good race for all of us. We bettered the state record time by 17 seconds and I think it really set the tone for the rest of our races at NIN.
You broke Sklodowski's indoor school record.
It means a lot to me because he is an outstanding runner who has done so much for our program and the sport in Delaware. Coming in to Tatnall as a freshman he was a legend to me and everything he did was incredible. It was a dream of mine to try to run as well as Brian did in high school – so, getting one of his records is a big honor. The mile race at Nationals has really helped me recalibrate my goals and set my sights on going after his 4:11 outdoor state record. Brian and I are friends. He always congratulates me on my accomplishments and continues to stay in touch with our team. Brian always reminds me of the next step and that there is always more to accomplish. He is someone I always listen to because he has been through it all and done some amazing things. He has set the bar.
What has been the key to your success and development? What has your training consisted of during cross country and during indoor?
Back in the beginning of cross country, we focused on mileage and longer intervals. As the season went on we began with more hill work and shorter intervals. Track was the same way. We worked on longer track intervals at the beginning of indoor and continued with some distance runs. Towards the end of the season the workouts got faster and they began to shorten a bit. We also include core work and a lot of form drills. I think the key for me has been believing and trusting the training plan. I try to focus on those things that need improvement and do the little things right. These things have helped me improve each year and hopefully will lead to bigger and better things.
I started running in seventh grade. My mom thought it would be a good idea because I was fast in basketball and I could run a decent mile in gym class. I ended up really liking it because I did well in the 100m and long jump. After my freshman XC season at Tatnall, I thought I would be able to get back to sprinting. Coach Castagno told me to go on a distance run and somehow that was the end of my sprinting career. I expected that hopefully I could run a mile under 5 minutes by the end of my career. I dreamed but never thought I could actually compete for a state championship. I definitely could not have imagined myself being a top miler. After learning many things about running during my first two years, I set big goals for this season. After focusing on the 800m last outdoor, I wanted a big mile PR by the end of this indoor season. I am just so thankful I was able to have the opportunity at NIN last weekend to get that PR. This was also the first year our team had enough point scorers to compete for an indoor state title so we really wanted to go for that. I could not be happier or more proud of all the guys on our team for winning the indoor title. Other teams like Howard and Milford had great seasons and brought out the best in us.
Tell us about your coach? What has he meant to your success?
My coaches have meant everything to my success. I had no idea what I was doing or what my potential was and they took the time to help me realize it. We got lucky with having a coaching staff that is able to help us achieve our goals and train us as well as they do. They love to see us succeed in every way. Coach Castagno has been responsible for so much of my success. He has never steered me in a wrong direction and knows all of the right things to do. I trust his coaching completely because I know that he is always considering success as the end result. He helped me really believe in myself no matter what. I’m lucky to have coaches like Tim Brock and Zach Chupa as well. They help me in workouts and since they are both still training and competing, they definitely bring a different perspective. I can’t thank the coaching staff enough for what they have done for me.
My role models in track are Brian Sklodowski and Juliet Bottorff. Although I never got to run with Brian, I have learned so much about his accomplishments and his character and attitude. He knew what he wanted to become. Being able to watch Juliet for two years, I got to see what a state champion and national presence looks like. She was a hard worker, a kind person, and, always humble. Watching Juliet’s success in running over the past few years and now the success Haley Pierce is having has really helped me think about competing at a high level in Delaware and hopefully the national level as well. My parents are my role models as well. They always want the best for me and I admire their commitment. They are a huge support for me. Nothing has been or will be possible without them.
The most important ingredient to my success has to be my belief in myself. If you don’t believe you can do something you probably can’t. I always tell myself that. If I believe it’s possible, I can do it. I have to have that belief in my training and I have to believe that I can get better. If I can do that, everything else will take care of itself.
My big goal is for our team work hard enough to win the outdoor team title. I’m really excited about our opportunity outdoors. I really love the feeling of a close team. Overall, I just want to keep working hard, improving, and have fun doing what I’m doing. If I do those then things like 800 and mile PR’s should be possible for me.
