John McDermott ’14: Keri Boyce ’13, one of Episcopal Girls Track’s key runners, has always held a passion for running. Through middle and upper school, Boyce’s interest in track has grown tremendously. In middle school, she participated in the sport just to fulfill the requirement. “During middle school,” she elaborated, “I ran track but I was never serious about it. My freshman year I came to episcopal mainly to swim and my sophomore year I switched to cross country winter track and spring track. I immediately fell in love with the sport and realized it was something I wanted to dedicate my time to.”
During her sophomore year, she honed in on one event in particular, the 400-meter race. This race, unlike other events, requires no strategy, just pure hustle for one full lap. This is Boyce’s forté. “My favorite event is the 400 because there is no strategy, the only thing I have to do is run as fast as I can and maintain that speed until I get to the finish line 400 meters later.” What is so hard about other races is that you need a strategy.” Her focus and hard work allowed her to qualify, along with her teammates Kelly Szafara ’13, Tara Boyle ’15 and Leigh Adelizzi ’15, for the 4×400 meter relay race at indoor nationals. This was the highlight of her track career. She exclaimed, “I was in total shock and immediately wanted to cry because I was so proud of our relay. Never in a million years would I ever think I would be running in a meet with the fastest girls in the country.”
As Boyce concludes her senior year, she is sad to see track end, and to part ways from the close friends she has made throughout her high school career. Boyce expressed her sorrow, stating, “I am so sad that track will be coming to an end for me in a couple of weeks because I truly love the girls I run with.” There is always a possibility for a collegiate track career for Boyce, as she will be attending the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2013. She recounted, “Coach Goens has always told us to ‘run for one another’ and that’s what keeps me going.”