Bryson Anderson is speeding toward success

At just 14, Bryson Anderson, who recently finished eighth grade at Howard T. Herber Middle School in Malverne, is already being nationally recognized for his speed. He was the only male athlete from Long Island to represent New York in the Junior Division of the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle last month.

The Brooks Invitational invites the fastest middle school and high school athletes in the nation to compete. Bryson finished seventh in the Junior Boys’ 800 meters on June 12, and set a personal record of 2 minutes, 3.11 seconds, his best at the time.

On top of that, Bryson is a seven-time Amateur Athletic Union and four-time U.S.A Track and Field All-American, and has even won the U.S.A Track and Field’s title of National Champion.

Bryson was introduced to track and field through his family. “When my brother was on this team before me, he was running at a practice,” he said of the V-Tesse Track Club, the extracurricular track club Bryson is a part of. “And one day I just got up and started running.”

The Brooks Invitational is a prestigious competition that features the best young talent in the nation. Athletes are invited to compete based on their best times and progression over the years.

“It meant a lot, because it meant that they were watching me for a long time,” Bryson said, “and they’ve seen how much time I’ve dropped over the years.”

Bryson, whom Greg Dorseca, the coach of the V-Tesse Track Club, nicknamed Lionheart, specializes in the 400 and 800 meters. He had posted a personal record of 2:02.68 in the 800 at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Franklin Field, Pennsylvania on June 16th, which earned him his first New Balance All-American title.

“He got the nickname Lionheart because he never gave up, and never backed down from competition,” Dorseca said.

Bryson’s versatility is part of what separates him from other runners, his coach said. “He’s a sprinter, but has such a wide range he can run any of the events from the 400 meters to the mile,” Dorseca explained. “His work ethic is impeccable, even though he’s in middle school, he trains with older kids. His attitude towards training is incomparable to others.”

Bryson is also a Junior High All-American in cross-country, and Dorseca claims he is the fastest middle-school runner in all of Long Island.

In the fall he will attend Cardinal Hayes High School, a private school in the Bronx, and will prepare for the indoor track season. He said he was excited to move up to high school, and competition that will be more of a challenge for him.

“It’s close to where we used to live,” Bryson said of Cardinal Hayes. “I was born in the Bronx, and my mom was raised there. It meant that a lot more of my family could come out to support (me).”

His goals include improving to 1:59 in the 800 meters, and to hit 48 seconds in the 400 meters as a freshman. He is currently preparing for the Junior Olympics on July 29, in Greensboro, North Carolina.