Taylor Ewert

Taylor Ewert (b. November 26, 2001) is a high school track and field athlete fromBeavercreek, Ohio. She is considered a strong contender for a berth on the 2020 U.S. Olympic 20K racewalking team and is a standout in cross country and the steeplechase.

Both of Ewert's parents, who have been wholly supportive of her efforts, ran track at Syracuse University. Her father, Brian D. Ewert, an engineer and retired Air Force colonel, ran the steeplechase. Her mother, Teri, is a physiotherapist. Taylor has an older brother, Ben, three years ahead of her in school, studying computer engineering and competing at the NCAA Division I, University of Louisville in cross country and track. He holds the state of Ohio 2000m steeplechase, high school record and finished 3rd in the New Balance Nationals steeple. Her younger brother, Connor, a year behind her in school, is an outstanding distance and steeplechase runner at Beavercreek High School, with a best of 16:06:3 at the 5K cross country. Their coach at Beavercreek is Howard Russ. She is committed to going to the University of Arkansas.

Taylor won the steeple in North Carolina 6:38.79, at the New Balance National Outdoor. The next day, a six-hundred mile drive away in Indianapolis, she competed in the USA Junior Championships racewalk, with a time of 49:07.52, lowering the U.S. Junior record by 24 seconds and finishing four minutes faster than the first boy. On July 14, Ewert completed the 10,000 meter race walk in 45:57.81 in Tampere, Finland, in the U20 (Under 20) games, setting an American Junior record in the process. In her junior year, Ewert finished 2nd in the Footlocker Midwest Regional Cross Championships in 18:08.9k trailing senior Emily Covert who ran 17:58.3, but ahead of Zofia Dudek, Katelynne Hart, and frosh standout, Abby Vanderkooi. On December 1, Ewert, finished third, behind another junior, two-time champion Katelyn Tuohy and runner-up Kelsey Chmiel, a senior, in the Nike Girls Cross County Nationals. In the Foot Locker/New Balance National Championship in San Diego's Balboa Park, she finished fourth to Sydney Masciarelli, who ran 17:00.3, who barely edged Hart, Ewert running six seconds behindVanderkooi in 17:20.1 and ahead of Covert.

She was the Gatorade Ohio cross country girls Player of the Year, winning the state 5K title in 16:57.90, the best state high school performance in 37 years. Ewert also holds outdoor American Junior records in the 3K and 5K race walk and three more indoor American Junior records in the 1500m, mile and 3K. She was named the USA Track and Field Youth Athlete of the Year for 2018.

Ewert's 3,000 meter racewalk time set in the Virginia Showcase indoor meet in January, had her as the eighth fastest in the world for the year, by February 9th, 2019. On February 9, 2019, at the Millrose Games in New York City, she set the high school indoor record at 6:38:21 in the one mile walk while winning against professionals, then finished in sixth place in the very fast high school girls invitational mile run in 4:51.97, for a personal record, on the same night. On March 10, also in New York, Ewert finished fourth behind winner Tuohy in the New Balance Indoor Two Mile, in 10:19.14. Ewert won the 5k Penn Relays racewalk on April 29, recording 22:28.61, an American Junior record, the second-fastest time of the year by that date, in the world for any age, and the best for a U20 athlete. Ewert also has an 11' 2.75" personal best in the pole vault. On May 9, she won the Great Western Ohio Conference mile in a P.R. 4:51.25. the next evening, she won the GWOC 3200 meter race in a P.R. 10:17:85. On June 1, she won the state DIV I 3,200 title in 10:23:14. With a 2:10 leg, she also anchored her Beavercreek 4x800 relay to an 8:58.95 for third in the state, but also 3rd fastest high school time in the U.S. for the year, to that point. On June 15, she broke the steeplechase meet record at the New Balance Nationals, with 6:33:61, and six hours later ran a 2:12 third leg helping her 4x800 team to a second place. On June 16, she finished second in the mile at 4:48.01. On June 23, she repeated as U20 racewalk champion in 48:24.61, breaking her meet record, almost eight minutes ahead of the runner-up and over five and a quarter minutes faster than the winner of the male race that immediately followed hers.

In 2019 Cross Country, Ewert set the record for Ohio high school girls running 5,000 meters in 17:03.2. She finished third in the Nike Midwest Regional meet behind Dudek and Hart, in 17:08.6. Her Beavercreek team finished second to qualify both for the Nike National Championship race held in December in Portland, Oregon. At the Foot Locker Midwest Regional Championships, on November 30, Ewert finished third again but closer, following Vanderkooi who ran 17:17.8 and Dudek, in 17:20.5, running 17:24.9 this time with Hart following in fourth in 17:34.6. At the Nike national championship race in Portland, Oregon, Ewert closed a substantial mid-race gap and barely missed dethroning Tuohy, who was competing for her third straight national title, trailing by only 7 tenths of a second, running 17:19.1 on a muddy course. Her team finished second as well. A week later at Balboa Park, returning to the Foot Locker National Championships for her final high school cross country race, Ewert finished sixth in 17:16.4, ahead of Masciarelli, but two seconds behind Hart. Dudek edged Marlee Starliper for the gold, over 30 seconds ahead of Ewert, with sophomore Vanderkooi third, also under 17 minutes. It was the first time in race history that two girls ran sub-17 minutes.