Gazette MVP: Sophia Spencer's commitment resulted in memorable senior season at Cloverleaf

Sophia Spencer's life always has revolved around running. As a child, she went for long runs with her dad. By the time she reached middle school, she used running to make friends in a new town. It wasn't until almost two years ago, however, that Spencer began looking at the sport as more than leisure. "Running, for me, has always been something that I've done for fun," she said. "It wasn't until my sophomore year that I really started to take it seriously. That year I did track for the first time, and I absolutely fell in love with it. "That was when I knew I really wanted to put in some work with running. I really loved the sport at that moment." That passion resulted in a state appearance as a junior and Spencer transforming into one of the fastest runners in Cloverleaf cross country history this season. Spencer earned Division II All-Ohio honors and, ultimately, Gazette MVP. After starting her high school career as a sub-22 minute runner and being left off the regional roster as a sophomore, Spencer quickly shaved time and recorded the fourth-fastest time in school history to finish 15th at state this season. "She had goals from the beginning of the season," Cloverleaf coach Garth Gucker said. "She wanted to be successful, and she really wanted to break 19 minutes. As a coach, you're like, 'OK, you're at 19:47, and that's a huge drop,' but she wasn't afraid to set lofty goals. "That maturity and the drive, you just can't teach it. It has to be something internal, and she definitely has it." After getting a taste of state competition a year ago, the 5-foot-3 Spencer seemed to kick up her intensity a notch. Sure, she was no stranger to competing, but this season was about taking advantage of every opportunity. Spencer wasn't content with sitting behind a pack or settling for second place. "I wanted to do the best that I could — not only myself but to set up my team up well," Spencer said. "When there are those spots in front of you, the difference between state is going to be if you're going to get those spots. There right there in front of you. There's no better opportunity." That attitude was evident from the opening gun, when Spencer would look as if she was shot out of a cannon while fighting to the front of the pack. While others are conservative, Spencer wanted to take control. Spencer was even stronger in closing moments like in wins at the Metro Athletic Conference Championships and Lorain District. In the inaugural MAC meet, Spencer trailed Woodridge All-Ohioan Izzy Best by 20 yards before taking a convincing lead coming down the hill at Goodyear Metro Park and finishing with a 14-second victory. On a muddy, rain-soaked Lorain County Community College course a week later, the 17-year-old was in third place with less than a mile remaining before using a strong kick to take the win and help the Colts to their fifth straight regional berth. "As a coach, you really can't just give it to a kid — that internal motivation to want to go and win a race," Gucker said. "I wish I could've had a camera on her when she came around the corner at districts after coming off the big hill at Lorain with about 400 to go. She had this look on her face like, 'I'm going to win this race,' and just made a strong move. That's how she raced all year." Spencer passed St. Vincent-St. Mary's Therese Hagey with 600 meters to go to secure third at the Boardman Regional. She then met the goal of breaking 19 minutes by clocking a personal-record 18:56.4 at state. "For the longest time I wanted to break 19, so it felt really good to cross that line and be like, 'I finally did it,'" Spencer said. "It was a great feeling to finish my season an All-Ohioan and finish my season with that medal and new PR. It just felt really good to leave on a good note. "But I feel like I still have a lot of improvement, and I have a lot of things that I still want to accomplish, so I feel like my running journey has just started." After moving around the country because her dad is a member of the Coast Guard, Spencer never thought that running would turn into something more. "It was always an adjustment (moving), but sports were something that always helped me with that," she said. "I never thought this would be something that I want to keep building off of and I never thought I would make it this far with it, but it's a great feeling to know that I have." Contact Dan Brown at sports@medina-gazette.com.