Schuylkill Valley's Luke Seymour has seen track career take flight

Jun. 18—Luke Seymour wants to go fast.

Faster than you can imagine fast ... speed-of-sound fast.

He looks to the heavens and thinks one day he could be seated in the cockpit of a Navy F-22 Raptor or F-4 Phantom soaring through the clouds.

For now his feet are firmly planted on the ground; he's content being speed-of-human fast. Which, by his standards, is pretty fast.

The Schuylkill Valley junior went undefeated in the 800 and 1600 heading into the PIAA Track and Field Championships, where he earned a silver medal in the mile and a fifth-place medal in the 800 in Class 2A. Before that he won golds in each event at the District 3 and Firing meets.

"He is naturally gifted, no doubt about that," said Panthers co-head coach Allyson McKechnie of Seymour, one of five finalists for the Reading Eagle's annual male Athlete of the Year award, which will be announced June 28.

Seymour has what McKechnie terms "remarkable form" as a runner. At 6-3, he has a long stride. A quick turnover. An efficient gait. Speed. Strength. Stamina. Work ethic.

He possesses what she calls "race-ability" — knowing how to effectively make in-race changes depending on the pace, conditions or competition level.

He checks all the boxes.

"He is a true runner, through and through," McKechnie said.

Luke Seymour is more than that, of course.

He was a starter who knocked down 27 3-pointers for the Panthers' district qualifying basketball team.

Growing up, he played football, soccer, baseball, lacrosse ... you name it. He was pretty good at them all and likely could've landed on this prestigious list had he followed other athletic paths.

Heck, just the other day he picked up a golf club for basically the first time and was pounding the ball 250 yards at the driving range. Check back in a few years and he'll probably be carving out a niche in that sport, as well.

The coaches at Schuylkill Valley probably fight over this guy; they would all love to have him on their team, not just because of his wide-ranging athletic ability but because of his character. He's a winner off the field, and in the classroom. The Naval Academy doesn't recruit you if you aren't.

Seymour was drawn to the track because of his near instant success there — and because of family ties. His parents, Ronda and Greg, are both runners. His mom, in fact, still owns the Schuylkill Valley record in the 1600, an event she medaled in at the 1991 state meet.

Luke has been winning races since he was in elementary school.

"I knew I was better than every kid in my age group in every race," he said. "I always knew I was kind of good."

Basketball was always his first love; as a kid, he was thinking he might end up in the NBA.

"I found out I was a lot better at running," he said. "I switched paths."

As a freshman, he won a District 3 gold medal in the 800 and a silver in the 3200. He was hooked.

He earned All-Berks honors in cross country last fall, but admits he had no grand expectations for this track season. He didn't see himself leading the 1600 coming down the stretch at the PIAA championships.

He's always thought the 800 was his better event, because of his speed and ability to kick down the stretch.

"If I ran a fresh 8 at states, I would've won by a whole second," he said of the 800.

That's not bragging; Seymour's not the kind to do that. He's just basing that thought on the numbers.

An hour after that second-place finish in the PIAA 1600, he was back on the track for the 800. He finished fifth, nearly a half-second slower than his Firing Meet-winning time of 1:56.91.

"My legs were pretty dead going into the 8," he said.

A week later, fully rested for a change — he also runs the demanding anchor leg on the Panthers' 1600 relay — he showed what he can really do in the 800. Running at the John Hay Distance Festival in West Chester, he cranked out a personal-best 1:52.75. That's more than a full second better than the PIAA-winning time.

"That's the first time I was totally fresh this whole year," he said.

That impressive time, as well as his performance at states, has only further strengthened Seymour's resolve for an even bigger senior year.

"He's told me: I'm going after that (1600 championship) next year," McKechnie said. "(This season has) propelled him to go after it more. He has the potential to win that."

Berks' Athlete of the Year in track and field is so multi-talented you have to wonder where his future lies. He could become a specialist at the next level and concentrate on just one event. Or ... he could expand his repertoire and try them all. Someone might see him as a decathlete who could succeed at jumps and throws as well as on the track.

The idea intrigues him.

"I would think I'd be good at it," he said.

The sky is the limit.