Hello Everyone! My name is Tyler Stevens and I am a rising senior at Manheim Township High School. I started running in 7th grade, but I really got into it when high school cross country started.
Shortly before middle school, I thought that I would be a soccer player or a tennis player. When I was introduced to cross country and began to run for the team, I knew that distance running was where I belonged. I messed around a bit in middle school and although I cared about how I did, I probably didn’t try as hard as I could have at practice. When I began to train with the high school team in the summer before my freshman year, I learned how important high school sports were. I completely shifted myself from a non-motivated, decent middle school runner to an extremely dedicated high school runner. I met new teammates, and more importantly new role models and friends. Evan Dorenkamp and Ian Miller were both huge mentors for me my freshman year, along with my cross country coach, Coach Stover. Those guys taught me a lot about the sport, and are a huge reason for where I am today.
This past year was a bit of a breakout year for me, as I had huge leaps in every season and in every event. In cross country, I went from a runner that barely finished top 50 at districts and failed to make states to a state medalist and a top 10 returner in the class of 2022 in Pennsylvania. I also made huge leaps in track, as I improved my 1600 and 3200 times from my covid time trials last year, from 4:33 and 9:43 to 4:21.41 and 9:23.14. I also improved drastically place-wise from 2 years ago. During my freshman season, I finished 11th in the LL League 3200m championship and failed to make districts. This past year, I finished 3rd at the PIAA District III 3200 and qualified as an individual for states.
When I am not running, I enjoy spending time with my family. Growing up as the oldest child of 4 is not always an easy task, but I’ve made the most of it, especially this year while taking online classes and being home with everyone more often. We’ve grown closer as a family as a result. I also love to watch and play basketball, and I am a huge Milwaukee Bucks fan. I have a summer job as a lifeguard, which is very nice because it gives me something else to do with friends besides summer training! If you have any questions for me be sure to reach out to me through instagram @_tylerstevens_. Stay tuned for more about my running journey!