Ross Wallace, a quiet newcomer to Uniondale High School, has become one of the community’s most talked-about athletes after powering his way to a county cross-country title and snapping a decades-long drought for the Knights.
The 17-year-old senior claimed victory at the Nassau Class I cross-country championship on Nov. 1 at LIU Post, finishing the 5-kilometer race in 15 minutes, 35.5 seconds. He crossed the finish line more than 30 seconds ahead of Aidan Urquiola, of Long Beach.
Wallace’s finish didn’t just mark a personal best — it marked Uniondale’s first county title in cross-country in nearly 30 years, his coach, Christopher Stephenson, said.
“I was definitely out of breath — that was a very serious run for me, just trying to hang on,” Wallace said, laughing as he recalled it.
“I was excited, but not surprised,” Stephenson said. “He was the first county champion I’ve coached in eight years, and Uniondale hasn’t had one in a very long time. What he’s doing is special.”
After winning the county title, Wallace moved on to the qualifier for the state championships on Nov. 8 — where he placed 22nd with a time of 15:47.
“I was happy, because I knew I made it on my own work,” he said, “not luck this time.”
Wallace credited the consistency of his training. He routinely logs 50 miles per week, with long runs of 10 to 14 miles. Running is where he clears his head, explores new places — and, with headphones on, he says, he “speeds up just because the music gets good.”
“I just run a lot,” he added. “Running is my hobby. I like to sightsee whenever I’m running around. “Don’t get me wrong — it would take the breath out of me at first, but after a while I definitely got used to it.”
Until recently, Wallace didn’t want to keep running on a college track or cross-country team, focusing on a future in computer science, but now he is seriously considering it. “My plan for my life is drastically changed,” he said.
He moved to Uniondale over the summer, another stop in a series of relocations resulting from his father’s service in the U.S. Army. Every time the family has uprooted, roughly every other year, Wallace has laced up his running shoes in their new home and headed out, using long runs to map out his new neighborhood and to feel grounded.
He’s has lived in Detroit, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and some states in between, he said — most recently Michigan. His mother encouraged him to race competitively, and after one meet, he said, he was hooked. Running became his way to settle in, stretch out, and find people who understood him.
Socially, however, his life has been difficult, Wallace acknowledges. Even among teammates, connection takes time.
“I usually stay to myself a lot,” he said. “I feel like it’s kind of encouraged me to learn more. I’m able to run around and see my surroundings.”
But he has started to develop a sense of belonging in Uniondale. Stephenson said Wallace entered the season unsure of where he fit in, often tucking in behind the top runners. But soon he began leading the pack by wide margins.
“He’s gotten a lot more confident since coming to Uniondale,” Stephenson said. “He wasn’t sure where he stood. He used to run a minute and a half slower. He always wanted to follow the fastest runner. Now he is that runner.”
Despite his success, Wallace keeps things grounded. He is balancing training, classes and school life, and says, “It’s exhausting at the moment.”
But academics come first. “If I don’t have time to study or do homework,” he said, “I’ll sacrifice something else.”
When he’s not running, he’s drawing or writing.
“I really like writing — that’s the one big thing I always constantly do,” Wallace said. “Ever since around fourth grade, I would always write stories, and draw.”
As he finishes out his senior year as a Knight, Wallace does have college plans, which, he hopes, involve a campus somewhere near mountains, so he can continue his bipedal sightseeing. But his future is still being determined, thanks to his dad’s relocation issues.
But he remains focused on what’s important. “Just have fun with it,” Wallace said. “Run because you love it. That’s what keeps you going.”
