ROCKINGHAM — Senior cross country runner Maylyn Wallace has been named the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by HWY 55.
The Richmond Observer continues its spotlight on one male and one female student-athlete from Richmond Senior High School each week based on his and her respective performance to help their team.
Returning to a normal fall schedule with the cross country team, Wallace has become the leader by example for the Lady Raiders. A three-year runner, Wallace was part of an impressive meet last week that saw a lot of improvement for the team.
This is Wallace’s third career recognition — she was also recognized for cross country (Oct. 2019) and swimming (Jan. 2020).
Athletic Profile
Age: 17
Birthday: Jan. 9, 2004
Year: Senior
Fall Sport: Cross Country
Position: No. 1 Runner
Experience: 3 years
Height & Weight: 6-0, 150 pounds
RUNNING THE COURSE WITH MAYLYN WALLACE
With her goal being to run at the college level, Wallace has continued to put in the extra effort this season to try and make it happen. As the Lady Raiders’ top runner, Wallace has finished in the top four spots of each race, including a second-place finish in the first meet of the season.
Last week, the Lady Raiders ran in their fourth meet of the season against Pinecrest and Southern Lee high schools. Completing the 3.2-mile race at the Kiwanis Park XC Course in Sanford, Wallace was fourth overall in a tough field led by Pinecrest runners.
That race saw her finish with a time of 23:14, which was a season-low time in a Sandhills Athletic Conference race. All four of the other Lady Raiders who ran also set new season-best times.
Since the start of the season, Wallace has taken 1:22.38 off her race time at SAC competitions. Her best finish, however, was in the Hare & Hounds XC Invitational at McAlpine Park in Charlotte on Sept. 18.
In that race, she finished 38th overall out of 244 runners with a personal record time of 22:08.50.
Maylyn Wallace runs during the Hare & Hounds XC Invitational last month. (Contributed photo)
RAPID RESPONSES WITH MAYLYN WALLACE
ROSports: You’ve consistently brought your times down each race this season. What’s been working well for you?
Wallace: “A big part of it is definitely having a base mileage I run each week. And I also add in some really hard workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One that I do is run 15 400-meter laps and try to keep each lap to under a minute.
“And on the other days, I’m just running a slow, easy five miles with the team. I’m most proud of my PRs and getting better and staying consistent. Teamwise, we have really improved so much this year.”
ROSports: Cross country is as much of a mental sport as it is a physical one. How do you persevere through the toughness of both?
Wallace: “Beating the physical part comes from the work ethic, but the mental part is about thinking about how you want to be at the end of a race. I know that I can’t stop and I keep going. It all starts with the preparation beforehand.
“The mental part is more challenging. Physically, your body knows it’s in shape, but your mind questions if you can run at a high level all the time.”
ROSports: Name some people who have impacted your life through school or athletics and explain what about them has helped you the most.
Wallace: “It would have to be Jessie Covington, Neely Herndon and Teddy Moseley. Neely got me started running and convinced me to join the Richmond team when I was a sophomore.
“Jessie was my coach for two years and worked with me to make me a better runner. And this year, Teddy has worked with my scheduling to allow me to run in the conference meets and the invitationals.”
ROSports: If you could be a fictional book or movie character for a day, who would you choose and why?
Wallace: “It would have to be the superhero Flash so I could win races. I’d want the type of speed he has.”
ROSports: Of all the ice cream flavors, which would you say represents who you are as a person and why?
Wallace: “I’d say strawberry because it’s a summer flavor, and has a happy feeling to it. I think I’m a happy person and I definitely am when I’m running. That’s a time when there’s nothing to worry about.”
The Richmond Observer will publish its Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week in the coming days.
