BY MARK MORING, Eastern Shore Post —
When Rylee Coates was learning how to walk, she was already in a hurry to get from here to there.
“I would run so fast that I would always fall on my face,” she said.
Sixteen years later, she’s running faster than ever and definitely not falling on her face.
The junior at Northampton High School won five gold medals at the VHSL Class 1 Indoor Track and Field Championships, held March 5 and 6 at Liberty University.
Winning five state championships in one meet is more than remarkable. It’s historic.
Virginia is the only state that allows competitors to enter five or more events — three running events and as many field events as they want.
In addition to her five wins, Coates finished second in a sixth, for a total of 58 points — likely making high school history in the process.
The National Federation of State High School Associations doesn’t keep such records, but a spokesman said he’d never heard of an athlete scoring that many points in one meet.
Singlehandedly, Coates led Northampton to third place in the team standings, behind Auburn (91 points) and Brunswick (78). Northampton’s boys team finished ninth. (See story, page 21.)
Coates won the 55-meter dash (7.42 seconds), the 55-meter hurdles (8.42), the high jump (5-0), the long jump (17-9), and the pole vault (11-6).
She finished second in the 300-meter (44.05, a half-second behind the winner).
It sounds exhausting, but Coates loves it.
“Physically, I feel pretty good when I’m competing,” Coates said. “But the soreness really hits me the day after.
“I’ve always enjoyed doing many events. If I don’t do as well in one event but do great in another, I still leave the meet proud of myself and happy.”
Coates almost always has good reason to leave a meet proud and happy. To wit:
n As a freshman, she was MVP at the state meet, where she won the pole vault and racked up 31 points
n As a sophomore, she was outdoor state champ in long jump, pole vault, and 100 hurdles, and second in three other events.
n She holds 12 school records at Northampton, and five school records at Broadwater Academy, where she competed in the 7th and 8th grades.
There are many more highlights that could be added to that list, and many more to come — starting Saturday, March 15, when Coates runs in the 60-meter hurdles at the New Balance National Indoor Championships in Boston.
On March 21 to 23, she plans to enter the pole vault and her first indoor pentathlon at the Adidas Indoor Nationals in Virginia Beach.
At both events, she’ll represent the Virginia Beach Flames Club, where she also trains.
Soon after those competitions, Northampton begins its outdoor track season.
And she’ll have summer meets and a senior year, so there are many more accolades to come.
Unsurprisingly, Coates is getting looks from a number of colleges.
Since she excels in so many events, she might be a good fit for the heptathlon (100 hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200, long jump, javelin, 800) or pentathlon (60 hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, 800).
Coates also plays volleyball at Northampton, where she is a straight-A student who loves science and English. She enjoys reading and creative writing.
Away from the track, she likes hang time with friends, family, and her pets — four dogs and three cats.
She likes the beach, photography, singing, and playing the ukulele. She’s active in her church, St. Charles Catholic, and in YoungLife, a youth ministry.
Her friends say Coates is a caring person who always tries to help others.
“My parents raised me that way,” Rylee said.
Her dad, Greg Coates, is hatchery manager at Cherrystone Aqua-Farms, where he runs the oyster breeding program.
“I’m not a fan of oysters,” Rylee said, chuckling. “But I love crabs.”
Her mom, Kimberly Coates, is the school nurse at Broadwater.
And her sister, Brelyn, is in 8th grade at Northampton and a rising star in multiple sports. The family lives in Eastville.
“And I’m lucky to have both sets of grandparents on the Shore, too,” she said. “My PopPop is Mel Coates, born and raised in Machipongo, and he’s the reason we’ve all ended up here. I’m so happy to live on the Eastern Shore.”
The Eastern Shore, particularly the Northampton High School family, is pretty happy about it, too.
