* Alyssa Sauro competes in the invitational girls 2-mile at The VA Showcase in January.
Photo Credit: Mary Ann Magnant/MileStat
"At the Penn Relays, I think whenever I approach it, I'm not going to approach it with fear. I know all the girls. I know I can compete with them."
By Ashley Tysiac -- MileSplit
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When the nation's top high school distance athletes head to the start line at Franklin Field next Friday, many eyes will be drawn to one particular West Virginian.
Irene Riggs, the Nike Cross Country Nationals champion and Nike Indoor Nationals one mile winner, will chase after new standards in the girls mile at the 2023 Penn Relays.
But Riggs isn't the only star out of West Virginia that plans to have a significant showing in Philadelphia.
Sophomore stud Alyssa Sauro, the Williamstown High School talent and ninth-place finisher at the Champs Sports National Championships in December, will co-headline a loaded girls 3,000m field and look to make her own mark at the revered track and field event.
She's an up-and-coming talent from one of the most underrated states for distance running in recent years.
What will Penn Relays represent for Sauro? Point blank, she said she hopes for a breakthrough.
Though her top 10 finish at cross country nationals pushed her up in the national distance rankings, 2023 has been characterized by hurdling obstacles, she said, both physical and mental.
Penn could be the next turning point for Sauro and her already stellar running career as an underclassman.
"At the Penn Relays, I think whenever I approach it, I'm not going to approach it with fear," Sauro said. "I know all the girls. I know I can compete with them."
Photo Credit: Raymond Tran/MileSplit California
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As Sauro prepares to round the track next Friday in Franklin Field, the circumstances will mirror her other experiences on the national stage.
Begin with the star-studded list of competitors. Six of the 16 racers set for the 3,000m field also crossed the finish line with Sauro at Champs Sports Nationals, including champion Karrie Baloga.
But Sauro entered that Champs Sports meet after earning the 10th and final qualifying spot out of the South region, sneaking in after taking considerable time off during the fall to deal with injury.
In fact, she only competed twice from the end of September until December -- at the Champs Sports South Regional and the WVSSAC 1A State Championships, where she took home an individual title.
When Sauro crossed the line in San Diego having clocked a time of 17:39.20 in the 5K and placed one spot better on the national stage, she said she couldn't believe it.
Similar to the cross country comeback story, Sauro is eyeing another rally this track season.
Sauro had high expectations for her abilities going into the indoor season and wanted to ride on that momentum gained over the fall. She would debut at The VA Showcase with a 10:24.16 2-mile personal best for fourth-place in the invitational field.
But what came after that race was an unexpected setback that forced an improving Sauro to shift her entire approach to distance running: Burnout.
Three weeks spent off her feet and in the pool helped Sauro improve her mindset when it came to logging the miles and competing in the sport.
That ended her indoor season essentially on the spot.
Sauro recognized that finding enjoyment in the sport trumped pushing onward through pain.
"I just told myself that running isn't my personality and that this isn't the end of my career," she said. "This happens in all runners, and it's going to be OK. I will get my times down eventually."
And everything did turn out more than OK for Sauro, who regrouped and made a comeback for the outdoor season. She logged a 3,200m best of 10:30.51 at the Ritchie Co/Pizza House Invitational last week and has won every race she's entered -- from the 800m to the 3,200m -- since her debut in March.
"I just told myself that running isn't my personality and that this isn't the end of my career. This happens in all runners, and it's going to be OK. I will get my times down eventually."
The Penn Relays will be the first major competition she's entered in since her 2-mile race in Virginia Beach nearly three months ago.
But that doesn't intimidate Sauro, who has now handled setbacks like a pro.
Instead, she relishes the chance to compete against girls from that monumental Champs Sports race.
She could potentially continue a winning tradition, too. A Penn Relays title could make for the second-straight year that a West Virginian high school comes away with a 3,000m win after former University High School star Larry Josh Edwards won the boys race in 2022. If Sauro wins the 3K and Riggs wins the mile, that could also make it a West Virginia sweep in the distance events.
"I think it's amazing that I just get to race there," she said. "I wouldn't say that I'm quite there to win the thing, but just having the competition there is definitely great."
And who knows where she could go from there.
With goals of sub-4:50 for the 1,600 and 10:15 for the 3,200m in 2023, she thinks the Penn experience could give her the push she needs.
"I think it'll definitely put me in the right mindset," she said. "I think the competition there will definitely help me be more confident in racing for the rest of the season."
Morgantown's Riggs may earn one of the country's top storylines heading into the Penn Relays prep races, but don't count out the next girl up in West Virginia.
Sauro certainly hasn't counted herself out yet.
"I haven't really gotten the chance to compete and actually race," she said, "So I'm looking forward to getting my time to where I want it to be in that event."
Related Links:
The Penn Relays Carnival meet page
On The Line: The Girls 3k At Penn Relays Is Star-Studded
Here Are Your Penn Relays HS Individual Fields
