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Hernando Today

Another Unexpected Accolade

Photo by ROBERT CAMPBELL

Hernando High senior Tyler Maier pours it in during a leg of the 4x800 relay during this spring’s 2A-9 Championship Meet at Tampa-Berkeley Prep. Maier was named Hernando Today’s Boys Track and Field Player of the Year.

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: July 30, 2008

When recent Hernando High graduate Tyler Maier signed to run for the University of West Florida, he marveled at how he had come so far so quickly.

When he won a medal at the Class 2A Florida High School Athletic Association Finals at Showalter Field in Winter Park, he had the same reaction.

And when he found out he was named Hernando Today Boys Track and Field Player of Year?

"It's phenomenal," Maier said. "I never thought I'd be in that spot last year. It feels good to continue the (Hernando distance running) tradition a little bit."

Only a year ago, the 17-year-old son of Ridge Manor's Brenda Hayes had barely accomplished anything athletically, having only taken up distance running toward the end of his sophomore year.

To go from that to earning state medals in cross country and track and field not only showed his ability, but posed the question of what he might have done with more time.

"I think he came into the season after cross country with high hopes of doing well," Hernando's Hall of Fame distance Head Coach Ernie Chatman said. "He started off on a pretty good role and got confidence in himself.

"...He's got more running speed than we thought he had. I think certainly he could have run the two-mile (3,200-meter) in the 9:20 range if he had the years of training that the others had. He'd be capable of doing that."

Only medalist

Following in the footsteps of his former teammate and close friend Ben Martucci, Maier took home a state medal in the 3,200. His time of 9:54.30 placed him seventh overall.

"He ran that race sick," Chatman said. "I believe he'd have run in the low 40s (9:40s) if he had been healthy. You just never know with distance runners. When you're not 100 percent, you're not going to run as well."

Nevertheless, Maier managed to collect the only state medal won by a male in Hernando County this past season. Not bad for someone in his only real full season of competition, as injuries washed away parts of his junior campaign.

"I didn't feel as strong but what I did at states was a big accomplishment," Maier said. "It means a lot. It meant the world to me. All the stuff that happened, I was injured my junior year, I didn't get to compete at my full potential.

"To recover from that and still do that was just phenomenal. I was just happy."

Unfortunately for Maier, he represented the Leopards alone. No other teammates advanced beyond regionals, but Ben Martucci and twin brother Drew still came out see Maier run.

Ben Martucci won three medals apiece in the previous two years at the state meet, setting an example for all the other distance runners in the Hernando program. Both Martuccis now run at Florida Southern University.

"The Martuccis, they're just phenomenal," Maier said. "I hang out with them and run with them quite a bit.

"(He learned from the Martuccis) a better mindset on everything. You can be confident in yourself but not cocky. Believe in yourself and know you can do something and never give up.

"They're still teaching me. They're teaching me to pace myself and ways to train and everything."

Still, it was Maier that put in the time and earned his achievements. What did it take to get to this point?

"It took hard work, determination, great coaching, people teaching me, other runners, talking to them, listening to them talking about how they train," Maier said. "My parents, my grandparents, all my friends supporting me, all that ties in.

"Medaling at states was great, it felt awesome. It felt good and I was satisfied with my time and placing. I was disappointed I was sick and couldn't handle the training that week. But I'm happy with it."

BY THE NUMBERS: TYLER MAIER'S COUNTY HIGHS
- Compiled by CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Event      Best time
800          2:01.25
3,200       9:52.48

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at (352) 544-5288 or cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com.

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