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If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
At the 2012 Gojekian Twilight Classic, Mary Cate Scully set a brisk pace for the first 1600 meters of her 3200 meters and kept it going for another 1600 meters to have a big breakthrough performance with a PR time of 10:54. Her season several weeks after that meet was derailed and cut short due to injury, which forced her to play catch up in cross country and during much of her senior season to regain that form shown in that 10:54 3200 effort. Nonetheless, Scully was able to be a valuable and significant contributor to the South County girls in both their indoor and outdoor state team titles as their top peformer in the distance events and also key member on their relays. Scully ran a leg on South County's school record 4x400 during the indoor season at nationals and ran PR's in the spring for 1600 meters (5:03) and 800 meters (2:22), while she finished as the Northern Region runner-up in the 3200 meter run. Scully simply skips over the Potomac River for her destination as she will be extending her running career at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in the fall.
Interview with South County distance runner Mary Cate Scully
What was your most memorable race?
Running the 4x4 at Indoor Nationals 2013 is something I will never forget. I had only run a 400 once at a quad meet but due to injuries/conflicts I was really the only other person that could run on the relay that had already qualified. When I got to the line I definitely stood out. What was this scrawny white girl doing in the 4x4? EnNijah had a solid lead off and I ran second handing off the baton to Kierra with a sizeable gap in last place. I ran a 61, which isn’t that great but running on that banked track in the armory was the biggest rush ever. I also usually run the two-mile so it was nice and short. After my leg, there was no way I could have expected what came next. Felecia got the baton and did her thing. She ran a monster 53 split putting us in 1st for the heat, 8th overall and a new school record. I stepped away from the track shaking at what has just happened and I got a pretty sweet backpack while I was there.
Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
There are so many runners in the Northern Region and we were all rivals because of how close we were. Usually it would come down to who was feeling better that day. I have to say that Kristi Carrigan and I had a solid rivalry. I still won’t forgive her for choosing West Point over Navy. Go Navy! Beat Army!
What was your greatest accomplishment?
I was so proud after my mile at Outdoor Districts 2013 because it was my first PR since my injury last year. After that 4 second PR I was able to turn around and state qualify in an 11:08 two-mile. It was just so great to be back to where I was before my injury after a slow recovery and frustrating indoor and most of outdoor season.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
I definitely would have become friends with all the people in my region earlier. We are all going through the same things and while we are competitors we aren’t that different. It also makes the meets more fun. I also would have focused on lifting earlier. You don’t think about it but upper body/core strength really helps, especially on those last laps of the two-mile.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
The day my doctor told my I had a stress fracture in the middle of my outdoor season junior year will always be one of my toughest days. For 4 months I went to the pool, the gym and signed up for summer swim team but I missed running more than anything. I didn’t feel as good, I gained some weight and there were some days when I wondered if I would ever be able to run again. I tried running in the middle of the summer but the pain came back and I became terrified to run again and I worried that the opportunity to run in college was gone. I remember tearing up at Monroe Parker when I watched the varsity race go off because I couldn’t be there running it. I tried to stay positive and was inspired by Tirunesh Dibaba who won the 10K at the Olympics after sitting out for a year. Although it was frustrating coming back with slower times I was able to overcome my fears. Today, I have a much greater appreciation of being able to run.
What will you miss the most?
I will miss my ridiculous teammates so much. Not only are they hard working they are hilarious. There was never a dull moment on the drives to meets. I will also miss how close the Northern Region is. It was awesome to have a network of track friends outside my team. I’m also going to miss having the West Springfield boy’s team at meets to give me cookies.
What advice you would give to younger athletes?
DON’T EVER GIVE UP, with anything. Don’t sell yourself short, you can do a lot more than you think. Also, cross training is a way of life. Running 7 days a week is an easy way to get a stress fracture.
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
Coach Holsclaw is the most sarcastic and inspiring coach you will ever meet. He never lets anyone on the team get a big head because no matter what you do, he always has a joke ready. It made me realize that meets and practices shouldn’t be stressful and that you can compete well and still have a lot of fun.
What are your college plans?
I will be attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD where I will be running Track and XC and beating Kristi. Beat Army!
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I have to thank my mom for being my self-proclaimed trainer and for hiding cookies from me during my season. (She once took an oreo out of my hand claiming it would be better on her hips than mine)
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great”-Steve Prefontaine. This is of course referring to driving the extra distance past McDonalds to get to Chick-Fil-A for a milkshake.
