PA Salute To Seniors: Dylan Ruefle - Hampton HS
What was your most memorable race/competition?
Going into my junior year, it was one of my goals to earn a medal for the 400 at some point to prove to myself that I was getting more successful. Top 7 medaled at the Butler Invitational that year, and I was seeded 9th, so I figured if I won my heat then I had a good shot, but I lost to another kid by .10 seconds and so I figured my hopes were shot and I was kind of grumpy going back to my tent. Then I went to the results sheet to see my time and my name wasn't there! I was pretty astonished at that point and then they called me down to the officials' table and I figured they were going to explain why my name was omitted, but the guy tells me I actually got 7th! And it took me by such a surprise. He gave me my medal and announced my name and I stood up on the podium all by myself, raising my arms and seeing my teammates going crazy, and I almost had tears in my eyes.
Where did you face your biggest competition?
The biggest competition was always at the WPIAL Championship meet for both the 400 and the 4x400, but this year I was seeded 4th in the 400 and 3rd in the 4x400 going in and in both of those events I came out as 7th, so I was never able to handle it as well. Instead, the meet where I got those seeds, the WPIAL Northern Qualifier, was always where I performed my best. I ran my first FAT sub-51 400 there and ran my best anchor leg on the relay where we PRd by 6 seconds.
Out of all of your high school accomplishments, which stands out the most?
What will always stand out the most will be when my 4x400 team had broken our 41 year old school record at WPIAL Qualifiers. Although we underperformed at the district meet and failed to qualify for States, it is a huge consolation to know that I left my mark on Hampton, especially when I never even dreamed of breaking a record.
If you could do it all over again, what would you change about your athletic career in high school?
Without a doubt I would have started Cross Country as soon as possible. I only joined by my Junior year, and although I wasn't the best at it, it definitely made me a much better runner overall. Plus, it was one of the most fun experiences of my life.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
As far as injuries go, I was experiencing some pain in my knee during the Indoor season of my junior year that kept me in the trainer's room almost everyday. Also, during my senior year of cross country, I kept experiencing pain along the side and back of my calves that made running extremely difficult. But most of all, I've had shin splints since 8th grade and I've constantly had to battle that every day.
What will you miss the most?
There's a lot that I'm going to miss, but none more than the teammates that I've bonded with over the years. Especially my 400 training partners.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
My advice is to dream big! I was a nobody for the longest time, but I kept setting goals and working hard, because you can accomplish nearly anything so long as you work as hard as you need to. I was running 64s in the 400 during 8th grade which is like a decent time for girls during middle school...not boys. But I was motivated to get better and better and by my senior I dropped my PR to 50.66. Also, love the sport!
How have your coaches influenced your performances and your life goals overall?
No disrespect to my coaches, but a lot of what I have accomplished is due to my own drive to get better. I took my time to look up strategies, workouts, tips, motivational tools, and other technical stuff that made me better. My head coach did help me with a handful of technical stuff for the 400 and 4x400 that helped me get my PRs, and of course I owe it to him for setting up our school record breaking 4x400.
What are your college plans?
I am enlisting in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Psychological Operations Specialist, and then I will attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania during the second semester where I plan to run Indoor and Outdoor Track, and hopefully Cross Country.
Shout-outs?
Shout out to Nate Sloan and Gina Alm for inspiring me to better myself. To Gordon Arch and Jordan Hawker for committing to the 400 with me. To Sarah Cook for being there every step of the way. To Caleb Smithco for being a freak athlete. And to 400m runners everywhere!
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