All photos by Tom Hoerner
A little less than 2 years ago, Melanie Rice ran her first ever 3200m race at the Judy Thomas Invitational as a freshman at Marion High School, finishing with a time of 14:20.27. It’s hard to believe that the same girl ran the #1 3200m time in the state of Virginia this past weekend at Liberty University’s Indoor Invitational, smiling the entire 11:01.58. In fact, if you had told Rice after that first 3200m run that she would be the #1 two-miler in the state her junior year, she wouldn't have believed you herself.
“I don't really think that far into the future,” said Rice, “but even if I had, I never would have imagined that!”
Rice’s early domination this season has surprised her competitors as much as herself. Her first break out race this season was in the Two Mile Run at the Bennett/Knight Invitational, where she was seeded first by only five seconds at 11:45.24. Instead she ran an 11:16.34, leaving the rest of the field 36 seconds...
