KINGWOOD — Forget about growing up with a silver spoon in her mouth, Allie Martin grew up with sneakers in one hand and track cleats in the other.
“I’ve been running since I was in diapers,” Allie, a senior at Preston High, said. “I started running when I was pretty young. It evolved once I got into middle school and high school.”
It would have been tough for Allie to choose another sport to excel in as her father, Paul, is the head cross-country/track coach for the Knights and her mother, Kelly, has become Allie’s training partner over the years.
“I think (love of running) came natural,” Allie said. “I really like going out there and making myself proud and my school and parents proud.”
Paul admits that Allie grew up around the cross-country courses and tracks in the area. In fact, he said he can vividly remember holding Allie on his hip during 2007, the last year the Knights won a team track state title.
That time around the Preston running programs helped mold Allie, as some of the past PHS great runners were her babysitters and runners she eventually looked up to.
Now, it’s Allie who has made her own mark on the Knights program.
Recently, she signed a national letter-of-intent to attend Ohio University on a running scholarship.
“It was a tough decision,” Allie said. “Overall, I think I was supposed to be there. It isn’t that far from home, and I felt like from the get-go (Ohio) was the one.”
Paul, who has been the head coach at Preston since 2003, said Allie’s competitive fire and natural ability have put her among the all-time running greats at the school.
“Her consistency is amazing. She has been training very consistent from the sixth grade on,” Paul said. “I think a lot of people think she is the coach’s daughter and she’s just being pushed. It’s actually been very calculated. She’s been slowly making increases so when she goes to the collegiate level she can continue to grow.”
That consistency caught the eye of Ohio coach Sarah Pease and Allie was one of the first recruits she contacted after taking over the Bobcats running program last August. Pease said that Allie really caught their attention during a run at Belpre, Ohio.
“I was pretty impressed with her that day,” Pease said. “It was a hot day, and she ran really well. We knew if we could get her into a competitive environment, we could really help her take off.”
Allie, who is a four-time all-state cross-country runner and eight-time track all-stater, did have some tough choices to make. She had scholarship offers from the University of Charleston, Delaware, Marshall, and WVU.
Paul said the decision to leave the area was tough.
“Allie has spent a tremendous amount of time in the Morgantown area,” Paul said. “(WVU head coach) Sean Cleary has known Allie since she was a baby. I think sometimes that familiarity is a detriment. I think there are some things she wants to carve out on her own.”
Pease admitted that it’s always tough to pluck a recruit from another university’s back yard.
“We are really excited to have her,” Pease said. “She is a clearly a good recruit for us. I felt great about our relationship but it’s always hard to say what’s going to happen when a bigger school recruits a kid.”
While attending Ohio, Allie plans to major in pre-veterinarian medicine. She also has big goals for track season and collegiately. She said she wants to run under a five-minute mile and possibly break the school record of 4:54, and she also has her sights set on the school record of 10:33 in the two-mile run. At Ohio, she said she wants to help the team qualify for nationals and she would also like to qualify for nationals as an individual.
“I think, for once, we are going to let Allie look for some individual success this season,” Paul said. “It’s always been about how many points can we get from Allie. This year, there’s going to be plenty of opportunities for her to run fast individual times. We are going to get her in some races and bigger situations.”
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