The crowd goes quiet as freshman Tessa Perdue got ready to begin her 5k. She heard the words “On your marks, get set,” and then she began her event with no distractions, improving each step she took.
Tessa Perdue ran her first cross country season this year and made varsity state in her first year with positive influences like Coach Hohn and Lily hurt along her side.
“I want to get faster, I want to get stronger, I want to be in a better mental state and a better headspace while I’m running,” Perdue said.
Perdue’s first cross country season this year lead her to state for the first time in her freshman year, running a 5K at a time of 18 minutes and 46 seconds and her last mile she ran back in her eighth grade year at a time of 5 minutes and 29 seconds, making state her first year of cross country as well as freshman varsity cross country runners Silvia Caruso and Emily Yeates.
“She’s just very grounded and strong-minded. And I feel like she can do anything she really just puts her mind to it,” Caruso said.
Perdue got into cross country by going on runs with her dad when she was younger; each year she continues improving.
“They race sprints on his birthday every year and when he turned forty they wanted to race a mile and it was harder for her when she was younger because she couldn’t keep up but now she keeps up with him very well because she runs a lot more” Tessa Perdue’s mom Heather Perdue said.
Tessa holds herself to a high standard while running. She gave herself certain goals to reach to help her improve along the way.
“I think as she grows, obviously, taking more ownership of the training and recognizes what she needs to do and how to best prepare herself,” Head cross country coach Aaron Hohn said
Perdue constantly has positive energy that she has on and off the field, supporting her teammates any chance that she gets, even after a race that she just ran.
“She would always focus on how other people are doing too, and would cheer for them and encourage them and help them while also being in that good mindset of her race” Caruso said
Perdue had many positive influences on her, like teammate junior Lily Hurt and the head coach Coach Hohn throughout the season, helping her through her tough races and encouraging her through the season.
“I think she’s going to keep going, and I think it’s gonna be really fun to see her step into the role of the older runner, ” Heather Perdue says.
Perdue managed to keep up her effort in cross country and continues to keep improving while also maintaining a 4.0 in her classes. She takes classes like Honors Biology class and Geometry class.
“Tessa, she doesn’t do anything halfway. If she’s doing it, she is doing it to the best of her physical ability, and it’s something that, you know, as a coach, it’s just, you love to see, because, when an Athlete puts that kind of effort into things, athletes around them will see it and try to match that energy level and she always gives everything she possibly has.” Hohn says
Perdue plans to continue running throughout her high school career, doing both track and cross country, as well as continuing to run with her dad. As she keeps running, she plans on improving her times in cross country.
“I think as she grows, obviously, becoming more or taking more ownership of the training and kind of recognizing what she needs to do and how to best prepare herself,”said Aaron Hohn
This summer Perdue plans to not only improve her 5k, her PR being a time of 18 minutes and 46 sec and a mile time with a best time of 5 minutes and 29 seconds, but she also finds that she wants to get into a better mental state while running.
“I’ve struggled with the mental side of it. I love this. It’s just doing what I love instead of, being worried about the outcome,” Perdue said.
She will be proud of whatever happens because she is doing what she loves. Perdue has now started her track season for the high school and will be continuing cross country throughout her time in high school.
To see Perdue’s track season. The next cross country season will start at the beginning of the year of the 2026-2027 school year but beginning in the summer and the next track meet will be held on April third 2026.
