STARKVILLE — Everything about Rhianwedd Price is calculated.
Price, a sophomore distance runner for Mississippi State’s track and field team, works out at the same time each day. She runs the same distance every time. She wears the same color socks for each race. She has a well-rehearsed plan of attack in each race, and knows when to be patient, when to attack, and when to make her move.
So how did someone as collected and organized as Price make the most important decision of her life? Blindly, of course.
As a senior in high school in Llandrindod Wells, a small town in central Wales in the United Kingdom, Price was a standout in club races. Her success led to an important phone call from MSU assistant coach and distance specialist Houston Franks.
“We talked on the phone and he told me all about Mississippi State, what it was like here,” Price said. “I had never been to Mississippi, wasn’t really sure exactly where it was or what it was like. But he offered me a scholarship. He said ‘Would you like to come run for us?’ and I accepted, sight unseen.”
That phone call was all it took for Price, who arrived in Starkville without having visited in the fall of 2013. Since then, she has developed into one of MSU’s most dependable runners. She earned All-America status by finishing in the top 25 nationally in cross country last fall. Her 1,500-meter time of 4 minutes, 11.67 seconds on April 3 at the Florida Relays is fourth in the country this year.
At the Southeastern Conference Championships earlier this month in Starkville, Price finished second in a 1,500 (4:18.32).
Her performance in the 1,500 has her in position to contend for a national championship. She re-started that journey Thursday by winning her heat in the 1,500 at the NCAA East Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Florida. Her time of 4:20.95 was good for sixth and put her behind teammate Marta Freitas (4:20.86). Both athletes will compete at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the semifinals.
A top-12 finish would secure Price a spot in the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The chance to compete at the sport’s highest level is the latest step in Price’s maturation.
“She’s developed into one of the best runners in the nation,” MSU track and field coach Steve Dudley said. “She has the opportunity to do something special. She’s absolutely a competitor, somebody who runs her heart out.”
Price’s personal-best, achieved in Gainesville, Florida, shaved five seconds off her previous record and reflects the leap she has made from her status as a prep standout.
“I think I’m running the best I ever have,” Price said. “The credit goes to my coaches, who have helped me really get better in all phases. I feel good going into this weekend.”
Price and her MSU teammates (the MSU men are ranked No. 8 in the country, the women are No. 15) have the chance to build on their performances at the SEC Championships (both teams finished eighth) and vault into the national spotlight by qualifying for nationals.
Humble beginnings
Llandrindod Wells is a town of 5,178 people in central Wales. It is, as Price put it, “in the middle of nowhere.” It also helped shape her into one of the most talented distance runners in Britain.
“I come from a very rural area,” Price said, “so I had plenty of room and time to run. I guess you could say growing up there helped me become the runner I am today.”
That rural setting played a role when Franks called two years ago with the scholarship offer. Although she had never seen Starkville, she quickly learned the thought of plying her trade at MSU felt like the right thing to do.
“It seemed a lot like my hometown,” Price said. “I liked the idea of being somewhere where there’s not much to do but run. Once I got here, I learned that there is a lot to do here, but it’s also still very small. I love it here.”
Reminders of home are everywhere. Price runs every race wearing red socks, the color symbolizing the red dragon in the national flag of Wales. Next season, Price will be joined by a familiar face. She grew up running the rural roads just outside of Llandrindod Wells, often running with her twin sister, Ffion, who plans to enroll at MSU in the fall and join Rhianwedd (who goes by Rhian) on the school’s track and field team.
“I can’t wait,” Price said. “It’s really exciting to think she will be here with me.”
Highs and lows
Price has run a variety of races for MSU. In the fall, she finished 24th nationally in cross country with a time of 20.30 at the NCAA Championships, becoming MSU’s first All-American in the sport in 21 years. The last was April Ecke in 1993.
“She’s got very good race instincts,” Franks said. “She does very good kind of getting her nose up in it. Our plan is to get up in there and compete. She does a good job of that.”
Price lowered her time each week before the NCAA championships.
“My cross country went much better than expected,” Price said. “I was nervous coming into it, as I wasn’t sure where my fitness was, but as the season went on I just gained more strength and fitness and was so happy with getting to nationals. I was surprised with the finish, although many other people had faith I could do it, I was ecstatic. Next year for the cross country season, I just really want to get to nationals with my team. Individually I’d like to come in the top 20, but my main goal is for my team to be there with me.”
Cross country led into the 2015 indoor season, one that saw Price emerge as a national threat. Her personal-best was a time of 4:32 in the one-mile run, a mark she set at the SEC Championships. That set the stage for a potential star-making turn at the national meet. But mistakes proved too much to overcome, as Price was disqualified from the race.
“Indoor nationals was very disappointing, as I had known that I’d put in a lot of hard work to get there,” Price said, “and a lot of people wanted to see me do well, but to get DQ’d for stepping on the line three consecutive times, was frustrating and the fact it gave me no advantage. However, I know rules are rules and I respect their decision.”
Out of disappointment came reassurance, though, as a simple act by her coach reinforced Price’s belief she had chosen the right school.
“The way our head coach Dudley fought to keep me in the final, right up to 15 minutes before the start, made me increasingly proud to be a part of this team, and I can’t thank him enough for what he did,” Price said. “The decision just gave me more motivation for outdoors to hopefully make it to national finals not for myself, but also for all those people who supported me through the DQ in indoors, especially for coach Dudley and Franks.”
The chance for redemption has arrived. Although she finished second at the SEC Championships, Price believes she has diagnosed what went wrong and believes that gives her added focus.
“I went off too soon,” Price said. “I set the pace for everybody else, and I should have been patient. Next time, I will stay in the pack and wait until it’s the proper time to make my kick.”
Price entered the season wanting to make nationals to atone for the mistakes at the SEC Indoor Championships. With that goal in sight, the plans remain the same.
“I want to place as high as I can,” said Price, who majors in animal science. “To show my coaches I can do it, to score as many points as I can, to prove I belong.
“I love this university, and I want to represent it as well as I possibly can.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.