Rylie Towns state runner-up as freshman

DAYTON — Rylie Towns concluded her season as the fastest distance-running freshman in Ohio. The Huron two-miler put up a 11:04 time Saturday at Welcome Stadium in Dayton to come across the line as state runner-up in Division II. "I definitely didn't expect it," she said. "I can't expect anything. Anything can happen. I knew what I was capable of." Towns had been a middle school state qualifier, but this was certainly a quick surge onto the scene. For almost the entire season, she had no choice but to run alone. She was too fast for anyone in the area to keep up. That meant she challenged herself with an imaginary competitor in her mind, one that she was pushing for entire lonely races to beat. That natural talent and ability to push herself put Towns in a strong position in the state final. She spent the first mile of the race right on the hip of Athens sophomore Sophia Szolosi. In the end, Szolosi pulled away to win by five seconds in 10:59. "I knew I could push," Towns said. "I knew I had to fight." Towns, even so early in her high school career, seemed to have a good sense for how special her achievement was. She's already done so much in such a short time for the Tigers She's already the school record holder in the 3200 meters, and she'll surely be eying older sister Jadyn's mile record just set on Saturday. Towns has three more years to make plenty more Huron history. Based on such a strong start, don't bet against her. "It does set the bar high," Towns said. "I know I have a lot of confidence. Last year, I didn't have as much confidence as I do this year. I'm not overconfident, but I'm confident enough to push myself. I know I can do anything if I put my mind to it."