Maggie McCormick is a top-tier athlete and record breaker who has represented the Bay Shore Girls track team as the distance captain over the past three years. Most recently, in March, she finished fourth at the New Balance National Championship. This December at the Nike Cross Country Nationals, McCormick, along with four other girls from New York State qualified to compete in an elite event featuring only the best runners from the nation. In her race, McCormick finished third out of New York runners and came in 36th overall. 

Another huge accomplishment for McCormick came in January where she set the nation’s fastest indoor mile record time at the Hispanic Games, running an outstanding 4:48. This record solidified her as one of the top runners in the country and demonstrates her resilience. To put her successes in perspective, this is only the beginning of a long list of accomplishments from this school year alone. 

During her time on the team, she has beaten her personal best almost every time she runs, crushing several school records. Whether competing indoors or outdoors, her success never diminishes. Balancing academics, training, and leadership responsibilities is no easy feat, especially when remaining on top of her skills. McCormick says that it is hard, but it inspires her further towards success. 

“It’s challenging, especially in these final years of high school, but for me athletics is fun. It’s kind of just been my outlet that I find joy in,” said McCormick. “In terms of academics and leadership, I know that my hard work will eventually lead to something good. I just want to make my family proud.” 

Girls Track and Field Coach, Shayne Lewis chose McCormick as captain because of both her accomplishments and resiliency. 

“Well, when I look over four years ago, Maggie was one of the more dominant athletes even then, and that was when she was a freshman,” said Lewis. “Since then, she’s been our leader. She’s set over 25 school, county, and Long Island records. She’s constantly striving to be the best or improving each and every day. She’s coachable, she’s tenacious in racing, and it was the right fit.”

There is no denying that McCormick is a superstar athlete- it’s listed in several articles, Instagram posts, broadcasts, and national rankings. Yet, the role she plays in building morale and team relationships through her influential leadership is often overlooked. As team captain, McCormick cultivates team culture. 

“She sets the tone,” said Lewis. “She does everything ever asked of her and she cheers on both the fastest teammates and the slowest competitors.”

Teammate Kaylin Garcia is a senior distance runner who has seen firsthand how well McCormick handles pressure and high-stakes moments. 

“Maggie is definitely one of the strongest people I know when it comes to handling pressure, whether it’s in a race or just going through a workout,” said Garcia. “Her calmness and being able to respond just by doing what she has to do and going through it so calmly really just influences everyone else to kind of follow that same route and stay calm in any high pressure situation.”

McCormick enjoys spending time with her teammates, mentioning how she doesn’t believe she does anything drastically different from them to train.

“I do think that mileage is a little bit higher, but I definitely have similar workouts to my teammates,” said McCormick. “It’s a lot of fun being able to run with people that are on your team and your teammates, those that are always supporting you.” 

Her teammates are one of her top priorities, as well as ensuring they feel motivated, especially when feeling discouraged after a bad race. As captain she makes sure the girls maintain momentum and remember that sports are supposed to be fun. 

“I just think that like telling someone that they should be having fun, if they have a bad race it’s a good motivator because it lets them know that it’s not that serious after all,” said McCormick. “Just finding joy in the process is the most important.” 

McCormick is committed to her team and illuminates this devotion through her leadership skills. McCormick will be running Division I at the University of Florida where she will continue setting new personal records.