Oak Harbor grad Adrianna Royal is in her second season as a cross country and track coach at Southern Oregon University. (Dena Royal photo)
Tyler King, who has the most state track meet medals in Coupeville High school history, has joined the coaching staff at Seattle University. (Photo property of SU Track and Field)
Two of the best runners to spring from Whidbey Island, Tyler King and Adrianna Royal, have finished their days as college standouts.
But that doesn’t mean they’ve left the track and trails too far behind.
King, who won three state titles for Coupeville High School, two in track (1600 and 3200) and one in cross country, finished his prep career with 11 state meet medals, the most in school history.
That attracted the interest of the University of Washington, where he went on to become an NCAA All-American while competing in both sports for the Huskies.
King was the captain of the 2016 U-Dub harriers, who placed 8th at the national meet, and graduated in 2016.
These days, he’s an assistant coach in both sports for Seattle University, having joined the staff of first-year Redhawk coach Kelly Sullivan.
While it might be his debut at SU, the head coach has a distinguished career, giving King an opportunity to learn from a legend.
A longtime track and cross country coach at Oregon State, after stints at Willamette and Auburn, Sullivan owns 24 Coach of the Year awards.
Royal, who competed for Oak Harbor High School and Sacramento State, has a prominent place on the list of “Wolves who could have been.”
After running in Coupeville during her early days, she took her sterling skills off to the bright lights of Oak Town, where she went to state in the 800 and 1600.
Steeplechase was Royal’s prime sport, however, and she twice placed second in the nation at the Junior Olympics.
When college swung around, she joined premier programs at Sacramento State, where she was a vital part of four straight Big Sky Conference outdoor track and field titles.
Royal graduated in 2016 holding the seventh-best 3,000 meter steeplechase time in school history.
As a coach, she’s a year ahead of King, having accepted a position at Southern Oregon University last year, where she’s an assistant distance running and steeplechase coach.
In Royal’s first year, the Raiders men’s cross country squad won the NAIA title. During track season, four of her distance runners hit All-American times, while one captured a title at 5,000 meters.
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