Tyrese Cooper is running nationally elite times as an eighth-grader.
Eighth grader Tyrese Cooper of Miami Gardens Xpress Track Club did not even qualify for the Florida Middle School State Championship in 2013. But since then, his reputation has been nothing short of historic.
The sprint prodigy set meet records this past weekend in the 100m at 10.61, the 200m at 21.26 and the 400m at 47.76. Those times rank amongst the nationally elite for high school athletes. With those marks, Cooper would have placed third, second and fourth, respectively, at the high school level Florida Class 4A State Championship last weekend.
"I think the 100 is the hardest because my get-out is slow," Cooper said. "I'm still trying to learn to use starting blocks."
Yes, that's right, Cooper ran a 10.61 without starting blocks and he's already got his eyes fixed on high school track goals.
"I'm excited for high school, I know there's going to be a lot more competition," Cooper said. "I want to break the high school state record in the 400."
Cooper didn't even know what that record was, he just knows he wants to break it. Cooper already has notions of running for UF in college and it's hard to imagine he won't turn out to be a Division 1 track athlete, many years down the road. The 400m seems to be his favorite event.
Tyrese Cooper trains for the 400 meters with US #2 Jamal Walton.
"I love the 400, it's a long race where you have time to make up for your mistakes," Cooper said.
Cooper has great company, too. He trains with Jamal Walton, the U.S. No. 2-ranked high school-aged athlete that boasts a 46.16 400m this year.
It's no secret that professional sports draw top flight athletes away from track and field.
"We hope to get them hooked before high school," said Middle School FLYRA State Meet Director Jason Byrne.
That seems to be just what has happened to Cooper, who is a football convert.
Prior to 2013, he played youth football for the Miami Gardens Bulldogs. Cooper, as you might expect, was a wide receiver and his team went undefeated in 2013, beating the Pompano Chiefs in the title game where Cooper had a touchdown and 10 sacks, as a defensive end. One would think that football is where his future goals are aimed but that does not seem to be the case.
"I'd never run track before," Cooper said. "That first year I tried it, I would get beat so bad but I started working harder and I started to like track more (than football)."
It would not be long before Cooper would skyrocket through the middle school rankings in track. Football became an afterthought.
"I just like running," Cooper said.
Miami Gardens Xpress TC is certainly thankful for the switch. Cooper anchored the winning 4x100m relay to go with his individual wins in the 100m, the 200m and the 400m, racking up 30 points on his own and tallying 40 together with the relay.
It helped Miami Gardens Xpress or MGX to their sixth-straight club title. Lauderdale Lakes won the overall team title with 125 and MGX put 114 together.
