Name: Eva Brydson
School: Cape Elizabeth High School
What was your most memorable race?
My most memorable race was the 800m at the 2014 Class B State Championship in my junior year. I generally don't remember much from my races, but two things stand out from this one. First, was at the third lap of the race, when I was in the middle of a tightly packed clump. I knew that I needed to get out of the pack, and just then, an opening appeared for me to slip out and make my move. The second thing I remember was the last straightaway when I realized that I was seconds away from a third place finish. This race was a breakthrough for me, as I had never placed that high in an individual event at the State level. The race also gave me confidence that I could run even faster.
Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
My biggest competition has changed greatly over the past four years. In my freshman and
sophomore years I was my own competition, as I was spent much of those two years struggling
with injuries and recovering from those injuries. My main competition my junior and senior years
came from Madison Szczygiel, Elora McCuddy, Gina Pardi, Mira Wyman, and my teammates,
Hailey Petsinger, Sam Feenstra, and Liv Palma.
What was your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment was placing second in the 800m at the 2015 Class B State
Championship in my senior year. In the weeks leading up to the race, I spent hours visualizing
what I needed to accomplish in the race. I pored over results and analyzed who my main
competition would be. Based on the seed times and race results from the rest of the season, I
thought that third place would be my best. Luckily, States was my day and I had a great race.
When I found myself in second place during the race I panicked for a moment, but then
committed to giving the race everything that I had, and it paid off in the best way possible
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high
school?
If I could change something about my running career in high school it would definitely be to
avoid the injuries that I encountered, or at least shorten the recovery time that I needed to go
through. I have never run a full cross country season in my high school career, due to various
chronic and acute injuries. My track seasons have also been chopped up due to injuries. The
injuries and recoveries have taught me valuable lessons about myself and running, but it is hard
to think of what I might have accomplished if I had not missed so much training and racing.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
The injuries!! And everything that came with them! Not running while your friends and
teammates are is sometimes more painful than the actual injuries. My cross country team won
the 2014 Festival of Champions, which was one of my proudest moments. It was also one of my
hardest memories from my high school career, as I felt like an outsider, and not a part of the
celebrating team. My amazing teammates didn't share my sentiments, however, and gave my
one of the Champion medals. I have never been prouder of a medal.
What will you miss the most?!
My CEXC teammates!!!! I have spent so many hours with those girls and Lup, and I wouldn't have wanted to spend them with anyone else. It has been sadly surreal that they have begun summer practices and I'm not there. (But don't worry guys, Rhoen, Emily, and I will stop by every so often!) So much of the reason why I love running is because of my teammates and the rest of the Maine running community. I love the small interactions between the teams that always see each other at meets. The small, tightly knit Maine high school running community is unique and probably unlike any other. I have been so lucky to meet so many amazing people from across Maine! I'm also going to miss all of the Falmouth girls and Cape girls and our out of body experiences so much.
What advice you would give to younger athletes?
Have fun with running! Don't take it all too seriously, but use running as an opportunity to learn
about yourself and to push the boundaries of what you think you're capable of.
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
Mr. Lupien has been incredibly influential to my performance both related to running and otherwise. Despite only being my coach for two years, Lup has taught me patience, perseverance, and to have a respect for running. These three combined have translated beyond the cross country and track worlds to my academics and life otherwise. I cannot thank him enough for everything that he has done for me and for Cape Elizabeth.
What are your college plans?
I will be attending Connecticut College where I will be running cross country, indoor, and outdoor
track. Go Camels!!!
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I want to thank my teammates for being incredibly supportive through everyone's ups and downs, every coach that I have worked with for dedicating their time and effort, and Lup for believing in me. I also want to thank Kyle for picking me up off the ground, Sam for always being there, and Emily and Rhoen for being the best CEXC tri-captains a girl could hope for. And finally (!!), I want to thank the Maine running community for being the best there is.
More Coverage
Do you know a class of 2015 track and field or cross country athlete? We'd like to salute them! Have them answer the following questions plus send 2-3 photos (can not be from another website or publication) to dveilleux@milesplit.us