Olmsted Falls’ Katie Clute, Lillie Katsaras carving out place in program lore – Morning

Those familiar with the history of high school female distance running in Ohio know Olmsted Falls has a rich tradition.

Back in the 1980s, with Michelle Kalikan, Kim Haluscsak and Angela Inge leading the way, the Bulldogs were winning state team titles in cross country and individual state titles in cross country and track and field. But that was 40 years ago.

Enter Katie Clute and Lillie Katsaras.

The duo has worked together the past three years to resurrect the Olmsted Falls distance program, posting All-Ohio performances in track and cross country. Both have been All-Ohio twice in cross country, and Katsaras placed sixth in the 3,200-meter run in last year’s state track and field meet. Katsaras has signed to compete for Bowling Green next year, while Clute is a junior and is in the early stages of her recruiting process.

“I’m sad it’s our last track season together,” Clute said. “That’s the not-so-great part of this. But I’m looking forward to all the fun things we get to do for the rest of the season.”

Both grew up in the Olmsted Falls community and actually played on the same youth soccer team, but they didn’t really know each other until they started training together three years ago. Now, they are a matched pair that fits together as if they were meant for each other all along.

“We really understand each other,” Katsaras said. “When we’re on a training run and Katie makes a move, I already know that she’s going to make that move. We know each other so well, and that definitely helps when we’re training through the hard workouts. It really benefits both of us.”

Clute also sees the benefits of having a high-level training partner.

“We do all of our runs and everything together,” she said. “I’m very lucky and grateful to have someone like her to be able to train with and talk to. We’re not training against each other. We’re training together to make each other better. There’s no bad competition between us, it’s all making each other better and working hard together.”

The person coordinating the training of the pair is veteran coach Rae Alexander.

“Lillie and Katie in particular work very hard and are really coachable,” she said. “Each of them would do what they needed to do on their own. But the days when they’re both here and able to run together, which is typically their recovery runs, they can just run, and they talk, and they can bounce ideas and complain, and do it in their own little bubble and vent as much as they need to.”

Alexander is the common denominator in the Olmsted Falls success story. She was the coach back in the 80s when the first round of success happened, and after a long stretch in which she coached at Strongsville, Medina and Brecksville, she returned and now oversees the growth of Clute and Katsaras.

“I think it’s a really cool thing how she was here back then and built a really strong program, and now we’re a part of that, too,” Clute said. “Last week it was so cool because we broke the 4×1,600 school record that they set 40 years ago and now we have it. And she coached both of us.”

In the past year, Katsaras has found herself in an interesting position in that Clute has really taken off and is now performing on a national level. Last year, the two were just about even in their performances. But Katsaras is not bothered at all by the fact she would be the stud at most other schools.

“I’m more than OK with it,” she said. “It’s going to help me going up to the next level in college. I’m very grateful that I have someone who’s faster than me that I can train with. A lot of these people who are top dogs don’t have that. I’m just very lucky.”

Olmsted Falls’ Katie Clute alters training regimen to help fuel success

Both have very high goals as the postseason meets are fast approaching. Both hope they can put together a 4×800 relay that can make it to Columbus. Katsaras recently discovered her iron levels were low, so she’s been taking supplements to regain her strength and endurance. She remains optimistic for the rest of the season.

“I’m confident that I am going to come back by the end of the season,” she said. “I know that I’m going to do well. But I feel like there haven’t been too many opportunities this season because of the crazy weather. But it’s going to work out in the end. I know I’m going to finish strong.”

Clute finished first in the 3,200 in the state indoor meet each of the past two seasons, but she said she is not yet certain if she is going to run both the 1,600 and 3,200 or just focus on one race. In March, she placed sixth in the two-mile in the New Balance Indoor Nationals, and last week she placed third in the 3,000 at the Penn Relays.

“The goal would be to win the state meet in whatever event I end up doing,” she said. “And then to go to the national meet and do my very best there and see what I can do on the national scene.”