November 25, 2009

Stuart Kantor
MORE: RivalsHigh 1-50 for high school football | RivalsHigh 100: November 23 update

Here are a few things you need to know about Cornwall on Hudson (N.Y.) Central High cross-country star Aisling Cuffe:

? She only has been competing seriously for the last 18 months;

? She now has few other interests other than running;

? She will be one of the favorites at Saturday's Foot Locker Northeast Regional Championships;

? She has a chance to challenge for the national title next month;

? She is only a junior. Cuffe readily admits the whirlwind of her running career.

"I've been so focused on moving forward," she said. "I haven't understood what I've done."

Let's try to explain it.

She started high school as a budding soccer and basketball player, but stumbled over to running during the winter of our freshman year when she realized she wasn't aggressive enough to play the other sports.

There was just one problem: She didn't think she had any running talent.

"In middle school, I wasn't that good," she said. "I wasn't promising, but I started getting good."

So good, that she finished 12th nationally at the Foot Locker Championships in 2008. And has only gotten a lot better since - no matter what the distance.

She took fourth in the indoor mile at the New Balance Games (4:59.92) in January; she placed fourth in the 3,000 at the Penn Relays (9:56.38) in May; she was second in the 5,000 at the Pan Am Junior Championships in Trinidad and Tobago (16:47.45) in August.

The success has taken over her life.

"I can't relate to (soccer and basketball) anymore," she said. "I love running so much; there's no room."

And, she admits, she still doesn't know what she's doing.

"I make a lot of mistakes," she said, rambling off things she needs to improve. "I thought going out hard would win me my races ... I'm trying to run smarter ... I'm trying not to lose my competition too early ... I'm wary of kickers ... I'm learning how to run with competition."

Her coach, Dave Feuer, said her improvement is amazing - especially considering she rarely gets pushed in competition. She won a New York state cross-country title earlier this month by 43 seconds.

"She has a one-of-a-kind work ethic," Feuer said. "The next level is her focus. She wants to keep improving, and she keeps it in perspective while looking for new challenges."

That should come this weekend at the regionals (to be held at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park , Long Island for the first time). It is one of four regional meets that will help determine who advances to next month's national meet in San Diego.

Cuffe said she'll use her past experiences as a guide.

At the Pan Am Junior Championships this summer, she learned a big lesson from Sarah Andrews of The Woodlands (Texas).

"It was really hot and muggy and dark," she said. "We were pacing off each other, and then she blew me out of the water the last 200."

Don't count on that happening again. In fact, don't count on any nightmare-type endings for Cuffe.

Why?

Well, there's one more thing about Cuffe before you go: Her first name translates to 'dream.'

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