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First in state, third in nation
Northern's O'Connor rising quickly
Friday, March 12, 2010
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by MICHAEL REID
Northern junior distance runner Ryan O'Connor collected a lot of hardware over the course of the season.
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And his medals has put him in good company with some of the best runners in the state and even the nation.
According to ESPN Rise Magazine, O'Connor is ranked first in Maryland for the 800-meter run and third in the nation after placing third at the Mid-Atlantic Classic on Feb. 27 with a time of 1 minute 53.58 seconds. Gonzaga's Bill Ledder won the Classic with a time of 1:52.81 and earned the spot as being first in nation.
"The success is immeasurable to how well I thought I was going to do," O'Connor said in an e-mail to Southern Maryland Newspapers. "It was so overwhelming that I couldn't do anything but sit there in awe and trying to think how it was possible I just did that. I guess I did, but there are two people to thank for all of my success: Coach Dawson and T.J. Howell. I owe it all to them."
Northern head coach T.J. Howell says the 2009 summer training days were part of O'Connor's good growing pains that prepared him for a dominating season.
"His summer training woke him up a little bit to his real potential," Howell said. "The Mid-Atlantic invitationals weren't easy for him and he saw a big difference in that level of competition compared to SMAC. His mindset and his work ethic in practice this season has improved."
When asked if O'Connor's recent success has been surprising, Howell said, "Yes, and no. I knew he was capable of amazing things this year and after winning states last year, I expected a win this season."
O'Connor brought home a first-place showing in the 800 at the SMAC meet on Jan. 23 with a time of 2:00.21 and a first place win at states with a dropped time of 1:59.47, beating Damascus top runner, Thomas Arias, who finished two tenths of a second behind O'Connor, placing second.
"He has a lot of endurance," O'Connor said after the race. "I thought he was going to kick real easy. I didn't back off. He's [Arias] probably the best competition I've had all season. Winning two events [at states] has made my day so much. I'm so excited I can't think of anything right now."
At the Class 3A East region meet, which was postponed for six days because of the back-to-back blizzards that came through the area, the junior also placed first in the 800 in 2:01.67.
O'Connor tied up his laces to win the 1,600 at SMAC with a time of 4:31.57 and then dropped a tremendous about of time at states, placing first in 4:25.85.
He also finished second at the 3A East region meet in the event (4:27.45).
Northern placed third overall for the boys at SMAC, second in the county behind Huntingtown, with 56 points, fifth in the 3A East region meet with 36 points, 10 points better than Huntingtown, and sixth at states with 24 points, the highest points in the county.
O'Connor's determination has peaked the interest of many colleges as letters of interest are starting to pour in.
"Going into this season I didn't really have any big goals," O'Connor said. "I just wanted to do well at states by placing top three in any event that I could. The workouts were the same and so was the team, the only thing different were the coaches. They had a huge impact on my running this season, for they always knew I could run faster and push myself harder. Evidently that paid off in the end."
Other SMAC indoor athletes have taken notice of O'Connor's skill.
La Plata junior Katie Huber noted O'Connor's "extreme speed" in a Feb. 26 Athlete Diary in Southern Maryland Newspapers' Maryland Independent.
"Ryan O'Connor ran well [at states], demonstrating his extreme speed during the mile and the 800 run," Huber said. "Overall, the meet was filled with outstanding runners who had worked hard all season in preparation for this last, ultimate meet. SMAC definitely held its own and proved that Southern Maryland had runners worthy of state titles."
With one more year of high school competition, there's no telling what new records O'Connor will set next season.
O'Connor will represent Maryland this weekend at the Nike Nationals at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.
