June 23, 2009

Stuart Kantor
Special to Rivals High

With her father watching from Bowerman Corner at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon, Taylor Wallace sprinted the final 200 meters of the 1,500 to the adoration of an entire grandstand on its feet.

Wallace's first-place finish (4 minutes, 33.83 seconds) last month secured her position as the first runner in Oregon high school history ? male or female ? to sweep the 1,500 and 3,000 four consecutive years.

"It was emotional," Wallace said. "Even my coach was emotional. The last 100 meters was surreal with everyone standing for the final lap. It's pretty exciting, considering all the athletes that have come through Oregon."

What makes her feat even more amazing is that, according to her father, Scott Wallace, "she still has to learn how to race."

Although her technique and strategy will undoubtedly improve at the University of Oregon, there's no questioning her desire, tenacity and hunger to win, not to mention her resilience.

Overcoming adversity

Taylor Wallace showed her resilience in the eighth grade after her liver started shutting down on her.

"In the spring of '05, she was at a cattle show in Corvallis, Ore., and had a Sausage McMuffin for breakfast," her father recalled. "Within four hours she was violently ill. Seventy-two hours later I started to worry. She was diagnosed with an acute viral hepatitis. All we could do was ride it out. She was in bed for 10 days, lost 18 pounds and atrophied considerably.

"So we started to run and use plyometrics to rehab. She had a dramatic recovery. Six weeks after we started, she ran in the Junior Olympics ? and posted a 2:17 [in the 800] and 4:41 [in the 1,500]. Not only good times, but the fact that she doubled was impressive to me. That's when we thought she might be a dandy."

Both times were good enough to qualify her for the Junior Olympics.

Then, prior to the start of the 2009 cross country season, Wallace tore her Achilles ? a 30 percent tear ? and was relegated to a boot/cast.

"We opted for conservative care, but went to movement early," her father said. "We utilized proliferate therapy and very aggressive PT [physical therapy]. Training was in a pool transitioning to treadmill, then run/walk and eventually running with increasing percentage effort. State title and Foot Locker always was the goal. She did both."

Eight weeks after her Achilles tear, she qualified for the Foot Locker Nationals.

A winning attitude

Affectionately known as Sea Biscuit by family and close friends because of her intense winning desire, Wallace, who claims she "doesn't like training at all," had a difficult time remembering the last time she lost an 800-, 1,500- or 3,000-meter race. In fact, it was in the ninth grade.

"It was in the 800 [May 12, 2006 at the Wally Ciochetti Twilight]," she said. "I told myself I'm not going to lose again. I don't like losing. I like competing and I like winning."

Winning has become habitual for Wallace. She has claimed the last two Gatorade Oregon Cross Country Runner of the Year awards and the Nike Steve Prefontaine award, given to the outstanding prep senior distance runner at this year's Oregon Sports Awards.

"It's an honor to win the Gatorade award twice," Wallace said. "For the Prefontaine award, I competed with all the senior runners in the state ? guys and girls, so it's a special award."

First introduced to running in sixth grade as a means to get in shape for basketball, Wallace has turned the tables on a promising high school basketball career (all-state three consecutive years) into a future at Hayward Field, where she'll join phenom Jordan Hasay in one of the nation's more dominant freshman classes.

"It's exciting because the team will be good for a while," Wallace said. "I'll train with the best, which will push me to improve."

Expected to compete in the 800 and 1,500 ? and perhaps the 3,000-meter steeplechase ? Wallace's aspirations for her freshman campaign are ambitious: "top 7 in cross country and an NCAA regionals appearance in the 1,500."

For this to happen, Wallace said: "I need to improve my third lap in the 1,500. I have trouble holding the fast pace; I usually slow down."

Able to overcome this deficiency in high school because of her tremendous ability to finish a race ? "my kick in the last 200-250 is my strength" ? she'll need to remain "aggressive from the start ? hard from the gun" at the next level to reach her dreams of the 2012 and/or 2016 Olympics.

"The Olympics is every runner's dream," Wallace said. "I've definitely dreamed about it."

For her father, a former runner at Northwest Nazarene (Idaho), the tears shed while watching his daughter end her glorious prep career a few weeks ago may simply be the first phase to a d? vu four years from now, as Taylor sprints down the straightaway from Bowerman Corner to a standing ovation at historic Hayward Field.

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