For a young athlete, there is a lot of pressure that comes with consistently performing well day in and day out, especially in a sport as individualized as track and field. Old Saybrook senior sprinter Avery Rueckert has risen above the pressure, putting up competitive numbers for the Rams indoor track and field team this winter.

Avery, who is SLC First Team All-Conference and competed at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Track Championship on March 12, has been running since she was in seventh grade and hasn’t looked back, making her mark as one of the best sprint racers in the country.

“I joined track in 7th grade just because my friends were doing it. Next thing you know, I am running in the middle school state championship. I went into high school with soccer as my main sport,” says Avery. “My current coach came up to me and asked me if I would run indoor track. I agreed and was a member of a Shoreline champion relay team as a freshman.”

Avery competes in several races on the track, from the 60 meters to 400 meters, as well as the 4x100 relay, 4x200 relay, and 4x400 relay.

Old Saybrook girls’ indoor track Head Coach Pete Capezzone has always recognized Avery’s talent and believes the variety of coaches she has had over the years has helped her to be as successful as she is in the sport.

“I have been coaching Avery for the past four years. She also receives a great deal of help and attention with a tremendous and caring coaching staff, including Jan Merrill-Morin, Jeff Morin, and Erin Lopez,” says Capezzone.

Avery started her senior indoor season competing in two Shoreline League meets (Shoreline Conference Indoor Track Developmental meet and Shoreline League Meet 1), where she ran the 55-meter dash and finished first at both meets with a best time of 7.51. She also competed in the 300 meters, finishing first overall in the Developmental meet with a final time of 44.52.

Aside from running track, Avery also played soccer from kindergarten to senior year, including playing on the Connecticut Rush team from eighth grade to sophomore year. She is also a member of the outdoor track team at Old Saybrook in the spring.

On Feb. 3, Avery and the Rams competed at the Shoreline Athletic Conference (SLC) Indoor Track Championships, where she set a personal record (PR) for the 55-meter dash, finishing first with a final time of 7.35.

Aside from her impressive numbers on the track, Avery also takes pride in being a standout leader for her team, something that helped boost club camaraderie throughout the campaign.

“This season, I led by example. I came to practice on time, led the team warmups, and kept everybody on task. I would show the team how to properly warm up for meets and what to do to mentally prepare,” says Avery. “Track is not only physically demanding but also mentally. I was able to help the younger athletes understand how to overcome and control the mental factor, keeping everything positive.”

Capezzone praises Avery for her ability to be a good role model for the younger athletes on the team, helping them to learn the expectations and mental disciplines that come with being a successful runner.

“Avery is one of the outdoor captains this spring. She also showed great leadership and guidance to our younger team members this past winter,” says Capezzone.

Avery competed at the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Class S State Championships on Feb. 9. She qualified for three different events; however, she only competed in the 300 meters and 4x200 relay.

In the 300 meters race, Avery finished third overall with a final time of 41.73. For the 4x200 relay, she competed with her teammates Abigail Colella, Madelyn Beaudoin, and Talia Bauer, where they finished second overall with a final time of 1:50.59. Avery also competed at the CIAC State Open Championships on Feb. 18, a meet that meant a lot to her.

“State Opens, I was seated seventh in the 300 meters and was placed in the second fastest heat. I ended up winning my heat and placing second overall, with a PR of 40.68,” says Avery. “This made me an All-State runner. I also ran the 200 meters at Nationals and set a PR of 25.16.”

After impressive performances at both the Class S State Championship and State Open races, Avery qualified for the New England Indoor Championships, and the New Balance National Indoor Track meet. For New England’s, she ran the 300 meters, finishing seventh overall with a final time of 40.70. In the National meet, she ran the 600 meter dash, finishing with a PR of 7.84 and 20th place, and also the 200 meters, in which she set a PR and finished 35th overall.

Avery’s decorative indoor season wasn’t all smooth sailing. She had to make an incredibly difficult decision and sacrifice her participation in a few races, a choice that ultimately helped her grow stronger as a person and a runner.

“This year, halfway through the Shoreline meet, I injured my groin. I still had three more races to run, but I had to make a decision if I would compete in them. I wanted to run for myself, my coach, and my team, but I decided that I needed to put my body first and think about my long-term health,” says Avery. “Although this was a very difficult decision for me, it allowed me to recover fully before the State and State Open Championships, allowing me to PR and earn the All-State title for the third year in a row.”

Avery’s running story won’t be ending after this spring’s campaign as a captain on the outdoor circuit, as she is also committed to run at the Division I level at the University of North Carolina Wilmington after graduating from high school.