Foster's Tosch ready for 'exciting,' 'nerve-wracking' season

Growing up with nine cousins, all boys, Mickayla Tosch got an early baptism in what it meant to compete.

The boys made no exceptions for Tosch when it came to playing sports. She had to work for opportunities on the court or field, just like everyone else.

It didn't matter if she was the only girl playing.

"That's one reason I'm really tough," Tosch said. "I like to win everything. I hate losing. If they pushed me down, I learned to get right back up and keep going."

Tosch learned to loathe the unequal playing field. Like the time she played tee ball when she was five years old.

"I hated it, because you could only run one base at a time, and I know that's not how you play baseball," Tosch said. "So, I got mad. Hated it."

Add in her dad, Richard, and mom, Carmel, who are coaches, and it's easy to see where the Richmond Foster junior runner gets her drive and ambition from. It's why she finds joy in a sport like cross country, one the most physically demanding and mentally exhausting sports.

"I like the feeling of how hard you work and seeing it pay off, knowing how hard you have to train," said Tosch, who also plays varsity softball and plays wiffle ball with friends in her free time. "It makes you feel so good. There's a sense of accomplishment."

Tosch ran every single day of the week except Sunday this summer, putting in about 30 miles per week.

After an impressive sophomore season in which she finished second at the District 24-5A meet, 11th at the Region 3-5A meet and set her personal record of 19:54.35 at the Class 5A state meet, she—surprise!—wants more.

Tosch sees this junior season as essential, calling it "exciting" and "nerve-wracking" because she knows the junior year is typically important for recruiting.

She wants to run in college—"It doesn't matter where, as long as they give me a scholarship," she said—and has spent this summer working tirelessly to get that chance.

"I feel like now that I've been to the state meet, I know what to expect," Tosch said. "I know how much work I have to do to get there. I can come in more prepared. Running every day, getting those long runs in, and then when you get to state, go out hard that first mile. I now know how to gauge that. Go out hard, finish hard."