All your favorite teams and sources in one place

Build your feed

Your Teams.
All Sources.

Build your feed

© 2024 BVM Sports. Best Version Media, LLC.

No results found.
East Greenwich’s Fahys adjusted well to XC team switch, stays ahead of the pack with Gatorade award
Class of 2023’s Reese Fahys smiles with joy after running in the Nike Cross Nationals Final as a freshman. (Credit: True Fahys)

East Greenwich’s Fahys adjusted well to XC team switch, stays ahead of the pack with Gatorade award

EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (BVM) — It was hard to spot any other runners in sight during the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) state cross country meet when Reese Fahys crossed the finish line. That’s because the East Greenwich High School sophomore broke the tape to become the state champion while being over 15 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. 

With no competitors in close proximity, Fahys raced against herself to cross the finish line at the 2020 Rhode Island state meet with a first place time of 17:43.51 in the 5000-meter run. (Credit: Dylanmanningri/Instagram @dylannmanning)

“My biggest strength is going up hills and I have to give thanks to all my freshman year coaches,” Fahys said. If I’m in a pack of people, I can get away from them on the hills. If it’s a flatter course it’s going to be a lot harder, I need to work on my finishing speed.”

Several months later, in early April, Fahys became the 2020-21 Gatorade Rhode Island Girls Cross Country Player of the Year. The 16-year-old is the first in school history to receive the honor, but everything up until now almost didn’t play out this way. Last year, she ran cross country at Middletown South High School located in New Jersey. But when her family decided to move to Rhode Island, Fahys, 15 at the time, had to pack up her running gear and switch teams in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I had to adjust to running on a new team and running on new courses I’ve never run on before,”  Fahys said. “So to get some personal records was really awesome and then to receive the Gatorade award was so cool especially since Peyton Manning got that around my age for football. Even though he isn’t in the sport of running it’s cool to be a part of the legacy of great people like that.” 

The 5-foot-8 athlete has already been creating her own legacy. She was named as the 2020 MileSplit most improved XC runner and it’s no surprise considering that she moved states and still improved her 5000m clocked time by over 60 seconds. Also, as a freshman, she ran in the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) final where she finished at No. 64 with a time of 18:52.

Fahys during the exact moment she found out that she was going to run at NXN. (Credit: John Fahys)

“You have to be top five at NXR (Nike Cross Regionals) to make it to NXN and I was number six my freshman year,” Fahys said. “But at the awards, the second place girl and her team actually qualified which opened up a spot for the next person to qualify. I didn’t know that at the time so when they called me I was shaking because it was such a surprise.” 

This year, Fahys said she is planning on running in the national Foot Locker cross country race. Since the Northeastern region has the NXR and Foot Locker races on the same day, runners in the region need to choose one to race in. 

“I’m gonna talk it over with my coaches,” Fahys said, “But I think I might shoot for Foot Locker this year so that I can experience it for the first time.” 

With two more high school seasons left, Fahys said one thing is for sure — she won’t be moving to a different school again. Right now, she is focusing on her first outdoor track season since it was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she will focus on the 1500-meter and said she is looking at the state record for the two-mile. She will also focus on the 3000-meter and she currently holds the 3000-m girls indoor track record. 

With an even more promising future, Fahys said she is looking to run at the DI level and her former coach from New Jersey has been helping her to get noticed. 

“I’m looking for the team aspect, not just strong on the course but close outside of running,” Fahys said. “I’m not sure what I’ll major in yet but I’ll choose a school that has a good school program and a good DI running program.”

Fahys started running at the age of 8 and enjoyed running the 5K at local races in NJ with her mom. (Credit: John Fahys)

No matter what happens, Fahys said she’ll always make sure to do the things that she believes brings her the good luck while racing.

“I always have to wear my lucky bra,” Fahys said, “It’s a plain white bra and I literally wear the exact one every race. I also tie my shoes, then after my warm-up, I’ll retie my shoes. I can’t race without retying my shoes again, I feel weird like I’m missing something.” 

It may be those motions that will eventually take Fahys to the pro level which she hopes to compete at far down the line. 

“I asked myself what other sport I would do and I have no idea,” Fahys said. “I actually tried swimming and I absolutely did not like it. When I’m really stressed I’ll go on a run and then after I’m super happy. The success is a big motivator to keep running too. I don’t know what I would do without running.”