At this rate, Adrianna Ayran might have to explore a few interior design options.
The 11-year-old Cherry Hill resident and sixth-grade track and field star at Resurrection Catholic School is running herself right out of real estate on her bedroom wall, which proudly displays her medals and trophies.
That space is getting a little crowded.
Ayran recently added a prestigious piece of hardware to her new collection as she won a bronze medal in the girls 12-year-old 4×800 meter relay at the AAU Junior Olympics, which took place July 26 through Aug. 3 in Greensboro, N.C. Ayran, who competes for Tri-State Elite Track Club in Mount Laurel, ran the second leg for her relay team, which finished in a time of 10:41.00. Tri-State Elite finished third out of 19 qualifying teams nationwide.
“Winning this medal was really exciting,” Ayran said. “We took a lot of photos on the podium. We were all happy.”
Ayran competed in three events at the Junior Olympics. In addition to placing third in the 4×800, her team ended up 13th place in the 12-year-old 4×400 relay – in a much more crowded field of 39 – with a time of 4:26.76. She also competed individually in the 11-year-old 800 meter run, placing 19th out of 90 runners with a time of 2:35.86.
“I was pretty happy with my result, but I feel like I could have pushed a little more,” Ayran said. “But I’m pretty proud. There were a lot of fast runners there.”
Ayran joined Tri-State Elite in December. She’s also considered somewhat new to the sport of running altogether, having only started three years ago. Instant success combined with a relentless work ethic has made Ayran a rising star in both track and field and cross country at Resurrection. She also plays volleyball for her school, but clearly loves running the most.
“I just wanted to try it and see how I could do, but I fell in love with it,” Ayran said.
Ayran needed to qualify through districts and regions just to make the trip to North Carolina. But she started building momentum through cross country season, too, which brought even more medals. She finished 14th among 10-year-olds at the AAU National Cross-Country Championships last fall.
“She got second in her state at nationals for her age group,” said her father, Adrian Ayran. “She really hit her stride in training with her coach, Rudy Rotter.”
“In her club, she’s a mid-distance runner,” her father continued. “She’ll run the 400, 800 and 1,600. But for her school, she can do just about anything.”
That goes for the classroom too, where Ayran is a straight A student. Just like her grades are top-notch, she wants to be the best on the track, too.
“I’m going to start running more and practice harder,” she said. “I really want to push.”
There’s more motivation hanging on her bedroom wall, with a shiny new medal. How many does that make now?
“I have no idea,” she said. “Maybe 20-something? Maybe more? There’s still some room.”
For now.
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