Tampa, Fl. – July 26, 2019 – Florida Orthopaedic Institute (FOI) is proud to announce Mary Ellen Eudaly from Plant High School as the ‘Athlete of the Week’ for the week ending July 26, 2019.
Roy Harrison, Track and Cross Country coach at Plant High School, nominated Eudaly for her outstanding accomplishments on the track as she continues to break records.
“She ran in the 4A Regional Track meet and qualified for the State Championship in three of the distance events,” Harrison said. “She ran the fastest 3200m Freshman time in the United States at the FSU Relays with an incredible time of 10 minutes and 28 seconds. She also broke our school record this season in the 800m with a time of 2 minutes and 15 seconds. She ran the 1600m to a Regional Championship and broke our 22-year-old school record with an amazing time of 4 minutes and 53 seconds.”
Harrison continued, “What she has done has been absolutely amazing considering that she is just a freshman going into her sophomore year. I have coached at Plant High School for 37 years and I have never seen anything like it.”
Eudaly enjoys setting goals for herself with no limit on how many she can chase, as she seeks to reduce time on her 5K, win the 4A State Championship and qualify for the Footlocker Nationals.
“I broke my arm during my 8th grade track season,” Eudaly said. “Ever since then, I became very motivated to come back strong and get back into running. I am so thankful for my team and our devotion to this challenging sport which led us to a state title. I also had a very encouraging season where I broke two school records. These accomplishments have led me to create my goals for the cross-country season.”
Track and Cross Country may seem like an individual sport, however Eudaly emphasizes that teamwork is very much alive in the sport.
“My coach is always taking extra precautions to prevent us from injury to keep us healthy,” she said. “He also creates amazing team dynamics through which we are able to accomplish our goals.”
Eudaly encourages fellow runners to stay mentally tough and to maintain a positive mindset in order to reach the next level.
She finished with, “Being willing to push yourself in practice and do small things like strength training is a huge key to feeling stronger and being able to push harder in races.”
Florida Orthopaedic Institute’s Athlete of the Week campaign is designed to focus on student-athletes, recognizing them for their hard work and dedication both on and off the field. The Athlete of the Week award can be earned by displaying one of the following characteristics:
Team Player: Athletes who are nominated for excellence in team play are chosen by a coach who feels the athlete does his or her best to put direction into action, makes a significant contribution to the team and continuously works to improve his or her skills, attitude and training.
Leadership: Athletes who earn the award in recognition of excellent leadership must exemplify strong relationship building skills, show excellent initiative and serve as role models for his or her peers.
To view last week’s award winners, please follow this link.
Florida Orthopaedic Institute
Founded in 1989, Florida Orthopaedic Institute is Florida’s largest orthopedic group and provides expertise and treatment of orthopedic-related injuries and conditions, including adult reconstruction and arthritis, chiropractic services, foot and ankle, general orthopedics, hand and wrist, interventional spine, musculoskeletal oncology, orthopedic trauma, physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical and occupational therapy, sports medicine, shoulder and elbow, spine and chiropractic services, among others. The organization treats patients throughout its surgery centers in North Tampa and Citrus Park, two orthopaedic urgent care centers in South Tampa and Brandon, and 9 office locations in Bloomingdale, Brandon, Citrus Park, North Tampa, Northdale, Palm Harbor, South Tampa, Sun City Center and Wesley Chapel. For more information, please visit: FloridaOrtho.com and ‘like’ us on Facebook: facebook.com/Florida.Orthopaedic.Institute.
