Downey Makes His Mark at Small School

It’s not unusual for Ryan Downey to cross the finish line more than a minute ahead of the second-place finisher.

However, his accomplishments have gone relatively unnoticed this season because he hasn’t had many opportunities to run against the county’s top cross-country athletes.

But Downey isn’t concerned about the lack of attention. He could care less.

“I’m not interested in the recognition,” said Downey, a senior at St. Margaret’s High. “The main thing that matters is my team, my coaches and college. I just enjoy the experiences with my teammates and coaches. That’s what’s important.”

Downey and his teammates run against Academy League schools in Division V, while a majority of the top runners compete at the Division I and II levels.

“There are certain runners at local high schools that I’d love to compete against,” Downey said. “And not getting to run against them is a little frustrating. But I’ve learned to live with it.”

He ran in the Division V team sweepstakes race at the Mt. SAC Invitational last weekend, and his time of 15 minutes 49 seconds was the fifth-best by a county runner. Downey was less than 20 seconds off the times posted by El Toro’s Danny Lee (15:30) and Mission Viejo’s Mark Gleason (15:32), two runners Downey considers “a level above everyone else.”

Earlier this season, Downey stepped up a couple of levels in competition. He finished third in the Division II senior race in 15:23 at the Dana Hills Invitational, and at the Woodbridge Invitational, he finished fifth in the Division I senior race in 15:34.

“It was a great experience for him,” said St. Margaret’s Coach Walt Linaweaver. “They exposed him to a higher level of competition that has helped him later in the season.”

Said Downey: “It provided me an experience with competition that is at the state or regional level. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to run against people you haven’t raced before.”

Of course, Downey already is familiar with the competition at the state and regional levels. Last season, he became the county’s first boys’ state champion, when he won the Division V title in 15:55 over the 3.1-mile course at Fresno’s Woodward Park. As long as he continues to perform, in a few weeks he’ll have the opportunity to defend his title.

“It was incredible [to win the state title],” he said. “I was overwhelmed. I had a few teammates come up to watch the race. . . . It was really special.”

Last year the St. Margaret team didn’t qualify for the state championships, but the fact that teammates showed up to watch Downey run is an indication of the team’s camaraderie.

“Being in the small school that I am, [the team members] are very close,” Downey said.

And even though Downey’s performance level is “so far ahead of the team,” according to teammate Tom Forquer, there is no animosity among its members. “He’s pretty supportive of the whole team,” Forquer said. “We’re proud of what he does.”

Said Linaweaver: “I was concerned at one point that jealousy or animosity toward Ryan might develop and it has not happened. The program is focused on the team, not one person, and everyone feels important.”

Besides his achievements as one of the county’s better cross-country runners, Downey also has done quite well in the classroom. He has maintained a 3.7 grade-point average while taking Advanced Placement English and environmental science at a school he says is “the best in the area, academically, bar none.”

He also plans to continue his education at a school such as Duke, Brown, Penn or Dartmouth, to which he has already applied for early admission.

“[Going to school in the East] doesn’t have anything to do with getting away from home, but I want to use my running abilities to further my education at a more academically competitive school,” Downey said. “And there are more academically prestigious schools back East.”

His desire to attend a top university is a result of his current situation, according to Downey.

“St. Margaret’s is set up to send students to four-year colleges and most of the time it’s to schools back East,” he said.

Regardless of which school he attends, he figures to major in pre-law--in hopes of becoming a sports agent or broadcaster--or forensic biochemistry, which he would use to become a forensic expert for the FBI.

For now, Downey runs for a Division V school with an enrollment of 250, but maintains his performance with the help of his family and coaches.

“There’s always been someone behind what I’ve done,” he said. “Everything I do or have done, I’d have to attribute to my parents or coaches [Linaweaver, Mike and Julie Allison] and family and friends.

“My coaches would receive 90% of the credit for my success. The rest would go to my dad and grandfather. They both loved to run and it rubbed off on me.”