By Brian Zanzonico
She didn't need that strategy, however, in her 1,500 victory on Feb. 13. She so dominated from the gun that she beat second-place finisher Courtney Kelly of Mepham by more than four seconds.
Rush has become something of a minor celebrity in track circles. Qualifying for the states in winter and spring track as well as cross-country every year since ninth grade, the 17-year-old has become a familiar face on the Nassau County running scene. Though she's only a junior, her coach said she already has the talent to compete against some of the best runners in the nation. "The times she's running now are comparable to Division I collegiates," said coach Mike Frazer. "I think right now she would make an impact in Division I."
It all begins, he said, with her work ethic. Frustrated when she was unable to run outdoors during and after the January blizzard, Rush worked out in the basement of her family's Malverne home. "A lot of kids would have used that storm as an excuse," Frazer said. "But she took advantage of it."
An early love of running
Rush's mother, Dr. Regina Rochford, said her daughter has had a talent for running since she was a toddler. Growing up near Marine Park in Brooklyn, Rush was such a bundle of energy that her mother tied a telephone cord around her wrist and attached it to her daughter to keep the child from running out into traffic.
She didn't mind the cord, Rochford said, and the two would walk a mile around Marine Park but Theresa wouldn't tire. Even when it rained, she would slosh through puddles and insist on staying out. Every day, mother and daughter would walk a mile.
"She'd run around in her little red boots," recalled Rochford, who noted that her husband, Frank, Theresa's father, was a marathon runner. "She'd just put her raincoat on and love being out there."
Despite the need to release all her pent-up energy, Rush didn't start running competitively until seventh grade. She enjoyed running the mile in gym in elementary school, and when seventh grade started and all her friends signed up for soccer in the fall, she registered for track. That year she won events at several junior meets and caught the eye of Frazer, Valley Stream North's varsity track coach. In eighth grade, she was a success on the varsity cross-country and spring track teams.
"By ninth grade people were coming up to me and knew who I was," Rush said. "That was pretty cool. I didn't think I was anything, and here are people who knew me. It was a special feeling."
Rush hopes to continue her track career in college. Her coach thinks she can run with the class of Division I, and Rush has her sights set on schools like American University and Villanova University. "She's the best female runner I've ever coached," said Frazer, himself a state champion from Mepham who later ran at Clemson.
With an entire year left to improve on what has already been a stellar career, Rush is busy preparing for a showdown with the best New York has to offer. "I figure I won't win at the states, but I'm pushing myself to succeed at the next level," she said.
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