Kate Tugman ran her first race at the Yarmouth Clam Festival when she was nine years old. “My mom was running the 5-miler that day so like any other kid, I wanted to copy my mother. I had never run before so I half sprinted, half walked the race but I still somehow managed to break a nine minute mile,” she shared. After the race, her mother was quite impressed with her natural talent.

Tugman started running track in sixth grade and cross country in eighth grade. She began her career racing in the 400m and 600m, however, she narrowed her focus in eighth grade and became a distance runner. “I was the top middle school miler and this was when I knew that running was going to be my thing,” she said.

Anna Slager (GHS ’18) is Tugman’s biggest inspiration. She remembered watching in amazement as Slager ran the mile in middle school. “I wanted to be as a good as her,” she said. “We became friends in high school; she was always so supportive and taught me so much about the sport for which I will be forever grateful. We still stay in touch today,” she shared.

As a high school runner, Tugman has had an incredible amount of success. She is the school record holder in the 2-mile, 3200 meter and 4×800 relay for both indoor and outdoor track. She placed third in the 2-mile at New England Indoor Track and Field Championships, and she was the SMAA Champion in the 1-mile, 2-mile and 800. Tugman has also racked up multiple all-state and all-conference awards in cross country and indoor/outdoor track and field.

Coach Jason Tanguay has seen her grow as an athlete over the years. In regards to her competitions, Tanguay was the most excited to watch her third place finish at the New England Indoor Track and Field Championships unfold.

“Kate ran a very smart race in which she waited until the second half of the race to attack the leaders. It was very exciting to watch her hunt down the competition,” he said. Tanguay is impressed with the composure and confidence she has shown over the past couple of years.

Tugman pondered a variety of D1 schools when looking at colleges but she knew she wanted to experience the “football/basketball” experience. While she had a few schools reach out to her, she took it upon herself to get in touch with schools she was interested in. She wanted a warmer climate so she contacted Florida State and UCLA. As a result of her persistence, Tugman recently held her official signing to become a Florida State Seminole.

“I chose FSU because I loved the Coach (Coach Kelly Phillips), I liked their program/philosophies a lot, and I felt I really connected with the team,” she said. At FSU, Tugman will run cross country as well as indoor and outdoor track and field.

Tanguay said of Tugman’s signing, “I am excited for the opportunity for Kate to be pushed at this next level. Our program looks to develop competitive distance runners, but we always want to ensure the competitive fire is not extinguished in high school.” Tanguay believes we are just now starting to see Kate’s potential as a runner. “I wish the best for her and truly hope her passion for running continues to flourish in college,” he said.