Ruth White is off to a fast start at the University of New Hampshire.
The freshman runner from Orono has already earned multiple America East rookie of the week honors in indoor and outdoor track.
And at a March 28 meet, she broke a school record that had been on the books for nearly 15 years.
In her first time competing in a 10,000 meter event on a track, White smashed the UNH record by over a minute.
“I didn’t know what time I’d run at all, I’d never run a 10K on the track — I’d done a couple of road races,” said White. “But I just figured I’d go out and do the best I could.”
Her best was the best-ever result for a Wildcat runner at that distance. White appreciated the chance to run the race early in the season, and is focused on the work that remains this year.
She is taking it one step at a time and “trying to get faster” as she works to keep helping her team.
White’s time of 33:27.57 eclipsed the previous school record of 34:30.30 set by Erica Jesseman in 2011. The 10K is 6.2 miles, so White’s pace averaged out to around 5 minutes and 20 seconds per mile.
“I was really happy with how I ran, but there’s definitely a lot of races left to go, hopefully,” she said. “I feel like we can always keep improving. So I’m just going to keep working hard and see if I can help the team at the big meets where points matter.”
White was named both America East athlete and rookie of the week after her record-breaking performance, which is the 17th best time nationally in the event at this point this season.
UNH distance coach Alison Duffy said having White run the 10K for the first time was “kind of like a fact finding mission” to see if White liked it, and that the focus heading into the race was on effort and not the results on the clock.
“As a freshman, I was a little hesitant about running her in the 10K, because it’s a big jump from high school,” Duffy explained. “She’s never seen 25 laps on a track.”
But the “fierce competitor” White ran “just a beautiful race” at the Black and Gold Invitational meet hosted by Bryant University in Rhode Island, her coach said.
White was the top collegiate finisher in the race, behind two “unattached” runners who were not affiliated with a particular school. Being unattached can often mean that a runner has exhausted their college eligibility.
The 17th best college time nationally in the 10,000 meters sets White up well to potentially compete in NCAA regionals and then perhaps nationals as well — along with the under-20 national meet in Eugene, Oregon, in June that White has already qualified for — according to Duffy.
“Right there, we’ve got a long season,” Duffy said. “So we’ve got to plan it out so that she is not over-run.”
As with other team members, Duffy is also focused on making sure White is able to balance training with academics and social activities on campus as she has started her time in college.
“She hit the ground running, and she’s just a rockstar with all of that,” Duffy said about White’s ability to balance it all. White was also named one of two UNH student-athletes of the week on March 31.
White said she feels “really lucky to be here and get the opportunity to wear a New Hampshire uniform.” White helped lead Orono to a second consecutive high school track state title last year, and won multiple Gatorade Player of the Year awards.
“I’ve been really happy with the coaching, with my teammates — Just the whole experience I’ve been having,” she said about her time at UNH so far. “Everyone has been really nice and I’m really liking the school and my classes, as well as the team and my coaches.”
Duffy acknowledged the high level of attention on White after such a successful high school career.
“Obviosuly Ruth had a lot of eyes on her coming out of high school,” Duffy said. “She’s been nothing but 100 percent delightful. Love being able to work with her and coach with her.”
Duffy called White “a powerhouse” who is both a “gutsy” runner and a great teammate.
As with White’s approach on the track, her season will continue to be a long-distance effort rather than a sprint.
“It’s early season standings, but she’s 17th in the entire NCAA right now,” Duffy said on Wednesday. “And they take top 48 to regionals, which is extremely competitive in the sport of track and field to make a regional qualifier. And she’s right up there.”
