MileSplit Spotlight: Eric Walz


Eric Walz heads into the 2015 cross country season as the #1 ranked runner in the state of Maryland. Walz also leads the state's top ranked Dulaney boys squad, who has big goals of winning the 4A state title over Severna Park and following in Severna Park's footsteps and qualifying for Nike Cross Nationals. MileSplit was able to catch up with the 2015 Maryland 4A state indoor 3200 champ Walz in an interview as he prepares for the fall season ahead.

Interview with Dulaney's Eric Walz

How did you first get involved with running?

It's kind of a funny story to be honest. Before high school, I originally planned to play football, but after looking at myself in the mirror, I sort of realized how scrawny and short I was, so I opted for cross country, keeping my safety on mind. I never really trained before, but in elementary school I did pretty well in school races, so I thought I'd be a pretty average runner when I got to high school.

Your sophomore year of cross country season seemed to a be real breakthrough you in winning the 4A North Region title and taking 9th in the state meet for 4A. What changed for you from your freshmen year to sophomore year to make that big leap?

It was a big year for me, and I think a lot of things contributed to that, going back to freshman year. Running wise, I did everything Boyle told me to do, and was confident he'd get me where I needed to go. I picked up on the little things, like diet and sleep, and I also started to develop more of the mind for racing. I also had an awesome training partner in Adolfo Carvalho, who pushed me hard day in and day out. Neither of us liked losing to each other at all, so we had a lot of motivation to really gut it out during races.

Recall your state indoor championship 3200 win last February. How did that race play out for you in order to win your first state title and what did the victory mean to you?

The race went out really slow. We hit the first mile in something like 4:50, so I figured it was going to be a sprint to the finish pretty early. With about 800 left the pace picked up big time and it was back and forth for a while, but with a lap left I put it out there, and got the title. It was a great race, down to the wire, and the win meant a lot to me. Freshman year I never would have dreamed of being a state champ. I was humbled and honored.

How has your summer training been? What kind of mileage and training have you gotten in?

Summer was great. The team and I got in a lot of quality miles, and we are all in great shape. We've just done some pretty basic early season stuff, threshold runs and some long runs, nothing to special or flashy. I think we put in work as an entire team, and saw a lot of freshman making huge strides. It's great to see underclassman getting out there everyday and improving.

What invitational meets are looking forward to racing at this season? Do you have any time goals that you would like to hit this fall?

I don't think there is one race I'm not excited for. The team and I are pumped to head down to Cary twice this year, for Great American and NXR. We are going to get to race some elite guys, like Andrew Hunter, and hopefully get a couple of wins. It's a great course and I know we are all itching to run really fast and go to nationals. Obviously though, States is the focus of our season. We know anytime we share the line with Severna Park it is going to be a battle, and this time we really want to take home the title. In terms of time, I'd really like to hover around 15 flat and maybe dip under if I have a great day. There isn't any benefit to putting immense pressure on myself like that, but to finish top 5 at NXR you have to be around that time, and hey, it's senior year, might as well go for all the marbles.

Obviously this is Dulaney's best chance to knock off Severna Park who has owned the state the past three years. On paper, you guys are the best team back, but do you and the rest of the guys still view them as the team to beat considering their history of success?

Severna Park is a premier program, and we understand that. They've had such a great group of guys come in the past few years and do work. Even though we beat them on paper, we haven't stepped on the course with them this fall, so we still have work to do. We aren't training like we already won the state title, and neither are they, so I'm pretty excited to race them. Guys like Kevin Hines and Clay Whitney were an honor to race with, but you can't count out Andrew Forysth and Josh Tucker, those guys are elite and will be gunning for us. At the end of the day though, I have the utmost confidence in my team that we are going to get that title, we are hungry.

The team only graduated one runner from their top 7 and has a strong class of 2016 runners including yourself. Did you guys as a gorup as freshmen or sophomores realize that could be building towards a special senior year together?

Definitely. All of us pretty much realized freshman year that we were the future of the team, and we started to think of all we wanted to accomplish. I think we all have blown our expectations out of the water, and I think what we have is special. We all love the sport, and we love to run together, it's a great group.

As the team's front runner, what kind of examples or ways to do you try to lead the rest of the team?

Coach Boyle tells us this every year, "talk with your legs", and I try to embody that as much as possible. I get a lot of the attention, but cross country isn't about me, it's about all 50 guys who work and work every day just like me, and what I try to do, as well as the rest of the top 7, is train hard, and show them that hard work leads to success.

How often do you and the guys talk about your team goals for season's end including state title and NXN?

All the time. I can't speak for the other guys, but I find myself thinking about NXN almost everyday. We've had NXN on our minds since sophomore year, and I think all of us our super motivated to get that done. I think we feed off each other's desire to win, and that has really ingrained the state title and national championship into our heads.

How valuable is the experience for you and the rest of Dulaney team in racing last year at NXN Southeast? What did you and the team learn from that race?

I mean, we finished 9th, which was disappointing, but I think that was far from our best race. We have experience now with a high caliber field, so mentally I think we'll be able to approach a race like that with more confidence. Another Boyle aphorism, "There are a billion people in China who don't care how you do", which really means that we need to stop getting so nervous about racing other people and focus on ourselves, and what we can control. I think physically we were there at Southeast, but now we are perfecting the mental aspect.

What colleges are you looking at? Do you plan to take visits during the cross country season or wait till after?

I haven't been flooded with college mail or anything, but I think my #1 right now is probably NC State. Obviously nothing is set in stone, but they are a great team with a legendary coach, and I could just see myself there, but again, there isn't certainty yet.

Coach Boyle seems to have done a great job with the Dulaney program on both the boys and girls side. What makes him standout to you as coach to make you and the rest of the team so successful?

Boyle is the greatest coach in Maryland. I may be a bit biased, but I truly believe that, and I think myself and the team have really bought into what he's been saying. He isn't a hoorah kinda guy, but he rights great workouts, and has developed us as athletes incredibly well. He knows what to say at the right time, and never lets our egos swell. He is honest and he believes in us, and not just out varsity team, every single athlete. He can get angry, but he really wants us all to succeed. He doesn't shower varsity with attention, every day I see him working with guys and girls of all levels to better them as athletes and people, taking out huge chunks of his day to help us out. I respect him and think he doesn't quite get the credit he deserves. This sounds super sappy, but I believe it 100%, Boyle you rock.

You recently were ranked #1 in the state of Maryland to start the season. How does it feel to earn such a ranking and been in that position?

It is a huge honor, and I am humbled, but to be honest, I care more about where I am as an athlete in November. I haven't raced yet, so I don't think I am guaranteed anything. Guys like Dalton Hengst, who is incredible by the way, are going to be gunning for me all year, and I think there are going to be some battles throughout the season. Again though, it is truly an honor.

What has been your biggest setback as a runner and what did you learn from that?

I mean I have failed a lot throughout my career, but one thing about having such a supportive team is that I have been able to work through these humps and bounce back. Last year, I didn't reach any of my time goals, which I think hurt my status as a recruit. We will see how it all goes, but I think the biggest thing was i learned I can't just sit behind first place if I want to run fast. I have to show some heart and guts and grind through the middle of the race to reach the level I think I am capable of reaching.

What would you consider as your greatest strength as a runner as well as the area you would like to improve upon the most?

I think being willing to go with any pace is something I pride myself in. I have grown to have a lot of confidence in my kick, but you got to run with the top guys to put yourself in position for your kick to even matter. I think that also serves as part of my greatest weakness, which is race strategy. A lot of times I have faltered at critical stages in races, for whatever reason, and rely to much on my finish. I don't think it is as much of not being able to handle the pressure, but miscalculating myself as an athlete, something I have started to give more thought to.

What your top goals for the 2015 cross country season?

Sub 15 5k, win states,as an individual and as a team, and make it to NXN.