Tully’s Rauber capping off dominant high school career
TULLY, N.Y. (BVM) — Brooke Rauber has been a force in the New York running scene since she first started competing in middle school. The decorated runner is capping off her senior year as New York’s overall runner of the year and senior of the year.
The honor doesn’t come as a surprise to most, as Rauber has been honored as her age group’s best in state from eighth grade on. Coming into events with a target on her back brought early pressure, but the Tully senior feels like she’s grown past those days.
“I’d say I’ve grown the most mentally,” Rauber said. “I used to get super nervous before races and I used to almost take myself out of the race, just because I was so nervous as just a little seventh grader. But now, I don’t get nearly as nervous and I know going into a race that whatever the outcome is, I’m going to have to deal with it and I’m going to try my best. So I’m going to be happy with whatever happens.
“I used to feel that there was a little bit of pressure, but then I remembered that I’m running for me and for my team. So when I go out there and I know that a lot of people are counting on me, I’m just going to go out and do my best to help my team and myself.”
The Tully senior comes from a running family. Her dad, Chris, was a seven-time cross country and track All-American and her mom, Michelle, was once a Division III national champion and is currently the Tully girls cross country head coach.
With her mom coaching the girls cross country team throughout her childhood, Rauber would grow up around the running atmosphere. Dipping into the sport in the seventh grade, the senior runner has leaned on her mom’s experience throughout her career.
“I love to work hard and better myself,” Rauber said. “My mom has slowly built me up overtime because she knew that I wanted to run in college and hopefully after that. She made sure that I was going to be able to grow and get better and not burn out.
“I feel like she is so knowledgeable. She always knows the right things to say and how to fix us and how to better all of us. Not just me, but my whole team.”
With her senior year underway, Rauber has already combined for eight first place finishes. After recording a personal-best time (16:54.90) in her second-place finish at the AAU Nationals, Rauber would end her season with an even better placement, winning the Junior Olympic Cross Country title with a time of 16:52.7.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do heading into the AAU Nationals,” Rauber said. “The only person that beat me was a college student from Stanford and she’s really, really, good. Then the next week I was like, ‘I’m going to go out with my last race and I’m just going to win for me.’ So, I just went out there and I won and that actually became my personal best even though it was a hard course.”
For Rauber, running is her passion. Even with last year’s spring season canceled, she didn’t need any extra motivation to keep training for this season.
“I know that I want to better myself and I know that running makes me happy,” Rauber said. “I look forward to running so it’s not really that I have to keep motivated for it, it’s just that I enjoy it.”
With her high school career winding down, Rauber is looking forward to her upcoming opportunity at the next level, after committing to North Carolina State University.
“I talked to the coaches and they felt like they cared so much about me and cared about all of their athletes, so that really drew me to the program,” Rauber said when explaining her decision. “Then I met the girls, and I already knew some of them, but I met some more and that just sealed the deal. They were all so nice and it was just like a big family. So I’m excited to go join that family.”
The Tully star will be joining a loaded class next fall for the Wolfpack.
