By Mark Ambrogi
Center Grove High School senior Ty Garrett loves all the aspects of being a long-distance runner.
“Competing and racing are both very exciting aspects of running to me, and they both make me very passionate about distance running,” he said. “The hard work that is involved is also something that continues to grow my passion for the sport.”
Garrett finished 22nd as a Center Grove freshman. He spent two years at Valor Christian in Highland Ranch, Colo. He was second in Colorado’s Class 5A state meet as a junior. In the 2022 Colorado state track and field meet, he was fourth in the 1,600 meters and fifth in the 3,200 meters.
“Ty is a very disciplined, hard-working distance runner,” Center Grove track and field coach Eric Moore said. “I love the way he competes as a racer in the distance races. He looks like an athlete who could be in the 100 or 200 meters dash but is a 3,200 meters runner. He has a tough athletic mindset, with a speed skill set that sets him apart from everyone. Could be one of the key difference makers in the big meet competitions this year.”
Garrett said his goals for the track and field season are to win the individual state championship in the 3,200. Other goals include winning a national championship and running under 4 minutes in a mile. Garrett said the main high school national championship that takes place over the summer (after the state track meet) is the Brooks PR Invitational, which is by invite only.
After returning to Center Grove in the fall of 2022, Garrett finished fourth in the state cross country finals at Terre Haute. He was named 2022 Mr. Cross County by the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches.
“It was a great honor to receive this award, as it was a big goal I had set for myself before this past cross country season,” Garrett said.
Garrett said he played baseball, basketball, football and soccer through elementary school.
“But around the end of fifth grade and the start of middle school, I started doing triathlons and continued to play baseball,” he said. “In sixth grade, I did cross country and track because I found that I really enjoyed the running portion of the triathlon. In eighth grade however, I began to just focus on distance running.”
Garrett said he has made the most improvement in his endurance and aerobic fitness.
“This improvement has been steadily made through my past few years of running, mainly starting when I began running in high school,” he said.
Garrett has committed to Wake Forest in the 2023-24 season.
“What sold me on Wake Forest was the adequate balance between academics and athletics,” said Garrett, who plans to major in mathematical economics. “The school offers a prestigious education while also allowing flexibility for athletics. Additionally, the school is relatively small, yet it holds all of the advantages of a bigger university.”
THE GARRETT FILE
NAME: Ty Garrett
HEIGHT: 5-foot-9
AGE: 18
SPORTS: Cross country and track and field
CLASS: Senior
COLLEGE PLANS: Run cross country and track at Wake Forest University
HOBBIES: Skiing/snowboarding, music, reading, bouldering/rock climbing
FAVORITE ATHLETE: Steve Prefontaine
FAVORITE TV SHOW: “Breaking Bad”
FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC: Hip Hop
PARENTS’ NAMES: Eric and Rhonda Garrett
