MORGANTOWN — Irene Riggs’ run to a second three-peat became official Wednesday.
The Morgantown High star distance runner was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in track, marking the third-straight time she’s won that honor.
In the fall, she won the same award for cross-country, also the third time in a row she won the award in that sport.
“It means a lot to me and it’s a great honor,” Riggs said. “I guess it didn’t hit me until my athletic director mentioned to me that I was eligible for the award seven times, and I won six of them. The accomplishment kind of hit me after hearing that.”
She’ll be heading for Stanford in August, which, jokingly, will signify another moment for other prep runners in West Virginia: Someone else will finally get an opportunity to win the award.
“I’ll be excited for someone else to win it,” Riggs said. “There are a lot of talented runners in the state.”
As for Riggs’ senior season, it was one of domination, especially when it came to the 3,200 meters (two miles).
She broke her own state-meet record in Charleston, clocking a 10:10.02 in the event, just under 47 seconds ahead of the next finisher.
In helping the Mohigans win a share of the state team title, Riggs also took first place in the 800 (2:14.68) and the 1,600 (4:50.25).
She was the high-point scorer at the state meet with 30 points.
At the national level, Riggs set the state record in the 3,200 with a time of 9:52.66 at the Nike Arcadia Invitational in Calif. The time ranked her third in the nation in 2023 and was the 11th-best time from any high school female in the event’s history.
“I was pretty happy how the whole season went for me,” she said. “I was able to perform at the national level liked I hoped. I was a little more focused this season on getting ready for college and helping my team, but I’m content with how the season went.”
As the state’s winner in track and cross-country, Riggs is now in contention for the national Gatorade honor in those sports, which will be announced in July.
This is the 38th year of the Gatorade Award, which also selects winners from each state in football, volleyball, girls’ and boys’ basketball and soccer, softball and baseball.
The award also goes for academic excellence. According to the press release, Riggs maintained a 4.27 weighted GPA at MHS.
Riggs said her plans this summer was to skip national competitions and focus on individual training before enrolling at Stanford.
“My coaches at Stanford have talked to me about keeping it sort of easy this summer to help with the transition,” she said. “I’ll pick it up a little more in July. This past year was kind of a whirlwind, so this summer will be more of a break to refresh and get myself mentally ready.”
Her freshman year at Stanford will begin with cross-country in the fall, before moving on to indoor track and then the outdoor track season.
“For my freshman year, I would really like to have a seamless transition with both academics and running,” Riggs said. “I’m looking forward to contributing to a team effort and going for something other than individual goals.
“Having competed at the national level the last couple of years, I think that’s going to help a lot. I’ll already have some idea of what to expect.”
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