Ty Steorts of the Hurricanes approaches the finish line in first place at the Class AAA Region 4 Boys Cross Country Championships in Huntington. (Photo: Ryan Fischer/The Herald-Dispatch)
HURRICANE – Hurricane distance runner Ty Steorts has pieced together an impressive prep career in both cross country and track and field for the Redskins.
Last fall, Steet capped off an impressive cross country season by finishing first at the Class AAA state meet with a time of 15:11.48.
Steorts even had a historic Class AAA State track meet performance in Charleston by posting a time of 4:07.75 miles.
The Redskin distance runner’s 2024 campaign was recognized by the West Virginia Sportswriters Association as McCoy’s Male Track Athlete of the Year.
He is the second consecutive runner in Putnam County to win this award, joining last year’s winner, Braden Marshall of Winfield.
“I was really excited to hear that I won.” Steel said. “I’m delighted to have won this award. It’s great for the community. I’m glad they were able to showcase this for the community.”
The Steorts have been extremely successful in all forms of racing in high school track and field.
He has shown countless hours in competition, especially in the Mountain State.
Steorts said there is no real science to running as effectively as he has in his career.
“It gets really repetitive.” Steel said. “You have to train smart. You can’t run 100 miles a week and take days off. You have to train. You have to take those recovery days. You have to eat and sleep right.”
The Redskins have produced a wealth of talented runners, and they have the latest voice to add his name to that list.
Redskins track coach Jimmy Cunningham has been around steel since middle school.
Cunningham has seen firsthand how talented the runners are of steel.
“What separates Thailand is his work ethic.” Steel said. “He works and trains hard. He follows his training, but he also has input into his training. He wants to get better and does whatever it takes to get better. I have enjoyed watching his progress.
“It’s been fun watching him develop not only as a runner, but as a man. You can see how much passion he has for running.”
Steorts announced a while back that he was continuing his running career at the University of Tennessee.
“He’ll fit in well there.” Cunningham said. “He’s capable and contributes right away. What I’ve enjoyed watching most about Ty is how his leadership has progressed and taken young runners under his wing.”
Steele doesn’t want to look far back at his days in Knoxville, Tennessee.
But he knows that once he walks across the stage for graduation, it’s time for college.
“It all feels like everything is happening so fast, especially my senior cross country season.” Steel said. “But at the same time I’m excited to go to Knoxville. I’m excited to race and see what we can do over there. It’s going to be great.”
The Steorts will aim to defend their mile crown in the upcoming spring at the state track meet in Charleston.
He knows he has a target on his back, but Steel accepts it as a competition and a spark to get better.
“The excitement level is going into track season.” Steel said. “There are some indoor races I have to get into before we get to the outdoor season. I’m in New York City for the big one. I want to get a new personal best mile time and get it around 3:59. I think so.
“I also want to work on my two-mile time and get a sub-8:30. Those are two good goals for me this season.”
The Redskins runner isn’t ready to hang up his shoes on his high school career. He is ready to take advantage of every opportunity and leave a legacy that young runners want to be a part of.
