Some people were born to run cross country.
Luci Szychulski never knew she was one of them.
Szychulski is a sophomore at Archbishop Ryan High School, and for about five years now, she’s been running.
She started running for St. Anselm’s CYO track team when she was in fifth grade, a year later she continued to do that while also competing on the cross country team.
Then, she was off and running.
“It was always hard in grade school, and I didn’t always like it very much,” said Szychulski, who lives in Parkwood. “Then when I got to high school, I started liking it a lot. I loved the coaches and the team was like family.”
Not only did she love it, it turns out she became good at it.
Actually, great.
“When I got to high school, I wasn’t slow, but I wasn’t super fast,” Szychulski said. “My coaches helped me so much and I stayed dedicated. I started working harder at it, and I became a lot more focused on running. That’s when I became better.”
She’s not just better, she’s now a champion.
One year after finishing in second place in the Catholic League championships, Szychulski brought home the individual title with a time of 20:19.1.
She followed that up by winning the District 12 3A championship with a time of 20:32.7.
Szychulski also helped the Ragdolls advance to the state meet, and she’ll be running in the individual race.
“I ran last year, and our team qualified, and we did it again,” Szychulski said. “It was really fun. I love the team, I really enjoy running with them, everyone on the team is really welcoming and nice and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. I love knowing I can help the team as much as I can and everyone pushes me to be better.”
Szychulski has a great bond with everyone on the team, but nothing is as strong as her connection with her twin sister Ceci.
Her sister is the perfect running partner. Not only is she among the best in the city, finishing second in the girls 3A race at districts, she provides her sister with all the support she needs while she’s trying to improve as a runner.
It goes both ways.
“She definitely helps me a lot,” said Szychulski, who added her brother Stephen is also a good athlete, playing everything and running track and cross country. “It’s really more enjoyable to have someone to run with, especially during long runs and practices, I know I have a friend.
“She loves it, too. We always push each other. Knowing that she’s right behind me, it makes me go faster. She’s a great runner and she always pushes me to be better. And she’s always very supportive. We always try to help each other.”
The girls have always been a team. And Szychulski has always been someone who has worked hard at whatever she does.
Before she was a star runner, Szychulski spent a lot of time working on dance, where she competed in just about all forms including jazz, hip hop, tap and ballet.
She loved it, but before she got to Ryan, she decided to hang up her dancing shoes and spend more time in running sneakers.
“Growing up, I played a lot of different sports, but I didn’t start running (cross country) until sixth grade,” she said. “As I got older my two main sports were dance and cross country and track. I stopped dance to focus on track.
“I loved it but it was a lot. We practiced a lot, we did four nights a week, three hours every night. I stopped doing that to focus on track. It definitely helped with my endurance and overall fitness. It helped me mentally, and it helped me stay focused.”
She stays focused on and off the course.
In the classroom, she’s an honors student who also takes advanced-placement classes.
It’s not easy juggling everything, but luckily she has a lot of support, especially at home.
“My parents are very supportive, my whole family is very supportive,” said Szychulski, whose dad played basketball at North Catholic and Holy Family. “My dad always helps me. My mom runs, too, they always help me. My dad ran a cross country meet when he was at Holy Family. He played basketball, but they asked him to run.
“My grandparents come to every meet and they want me to do my best. And they support me through everything. And my coaches. I get a lot of support. It’s fun, it’s definitely helpful to know they’re always there for me no matter what. They’re there to celebrate all my wins.”
She still has a state meet before she turns her attention to indoor season, where she runs distance.
The plan is to continue to work, both in the classroom and on the track, to continue growing into the student-athlete she hopes to be.
She’s definitely on the right track.
“My faith in God has helped me through all the races, our team prays before every meet and that really helps us to be better and more confident throughout the race,” Szychulski said. “I want to stay dedicated and work hard. A lot of it is hard work. The harder you work, the better you’ll do.” ••
