YORKTOWN, Ind.— On Oct. 21, Wyatt Turner became the fourth runner and first freshman in Yorktown history to qualify for the state cross country meet. His success, he says, has all been down to the basics.
“There’s not much anything you can do to get faster, so fast, you just gotta stay consistent and listen to whatever your coach tells you to do.”
Turner was born to run. His coach and dad, Jared Turner, has been Yorktown’s cross country coach long before Wyatt ever laced up his running shoes for the Tigers. He’s coached state finalists in the past, but Wyatt's training was special to him.
“When you get a situation where he qualified for a state meet as a freshman, obviously, I was kind of overcome with some fatherly emotions...maybe take a couple seconds where I took the coach hat off and gave him a hug and just felt super proud of him.”
The father-son duo has gone a long way in the first season together. Their bond, Wyatt believes, is what has made him as good as he is.
“It allows me to like debrief with him after races and after workouts and let me share a anything that I’m going through during there season, and it just doesn’t really weigh down. It really just helps me express my feelings.”
Contact Aiden Riegle with comments at aiden.riegle@bsu.edu.