This scene is so familiar, and this familiarity brings comfort.
Holliday’s Noah Strohman eased into the 3,200 meters at Thursday’s Class 3A UIL state track and field championships for the fourth straight year, improving his record to 9-0 in state meets as a freshman. His brother Ryder chased him for second place for the second consecutive season.
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Holliday runner Noah Strohman leads his brother Ryder through the fourth lap of the Class 3A 3,200-meter race at the UIL state track and field championships at Mike Myers Stadium.
The normal routine of the game was disrupted two weeks ago when Ryder upset his brother, who was dealing with a calf strain, in the 3,200 during the Region I-3A tournament, but the script worked perfectly at state. Noah crossed the finish line in a state-record time of 9 minutes, 2.35 seconds and flashed four fingers on the tape.
Ryder ran five laps with his brother and finished with a time of 9 minutes, 10.48 seconds, lower than his brother’s previous state mark of three years old. The twins will also compete in the 800 meters and 1,600 meters later Thursday.
“It was a little easier than I expected,” Oklahoma State signee Noah Stroman said. “I got there pretty easily. I felt really good the rest of the day. Coming in here, it didn’t feel like a statement. And then I walked out here and I thought, ‘I’m excited to be back and excited for a great day.'”
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The excitement spread to his twin as well.
“It’s awesome, finishing second behind my brother, I couldn’t ask for more,” said Ryder, the Oklahoma State signee. “I started strong today and I’m ready for the rest of the day.”
When asked which was more exciting, beating his brother at regionals or winning a silver medal on a bigger stage, Ryder didn’t hesitate.
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“Second place at state,” he said. “It means everything. These other games mean a lot, but form is the main goal. You have to perform well in form.”
How many more state gold medals would he have won without his brother, the greatest 3A distance runner in Texas history?
“It’s a lot, but I wouldn’t be as good as I am without my brother,” Ryder Stroman said. “He pushed me beyond my limits. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to run as fast as I did.”
The Stromans did five laps together as Noah began to put the hammer down. He gained 0.3 seconds on lap six, and then over 3 seconds on laps seven and eight.
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“It feels pretty smooth,” Noah said. “I wasn’t super nervous like I was as a freshman. I was ready to go out and execute my plan. I got out to the lead right away and it was all smooth sailing from there.
“They were all there, two, three and four (on lap five). I was a little behind on pace, so I pushed a little harder and dropped more. That’s when I made my move.”
Afterwards, all he had to do was conserve some energy for later in the busy day and plan the celebrations, which were a low-key flash of four fingers for his fourth 3,200-meter title.
“I wanted to have a little celebration, but not too crazy,” Noah said.
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He may have more celebrations to do as the meeting unfolds.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared in the El Paso Times: Noah and Ryder Strohman dominate again in 3A UIL state 3,200m
