Collegiate award recognizes Union County athlete who started as walk-on

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A cross country athlete from Union County knew in order to compete with the best, she’d have to give it her all.

So when Cuthbertson High School graduate Charli Montalvo started her freshman year at High Point University as an unrecruited walk-on this fall, the pressure was on.

Montalvo got her start as a runner in middle school. Through perseverance and determination, she was able to get where she is today.

“It’s really just yourself and how hard you can push yourself,” Montalvo said. “I really fell in love with just, that feeling.”

Hers isn’t a story about the first runner to cross the finish line.

“Charli just made the cut, it was that close,” said her coach, Kirk Walsh.

It’s a story about tenacity, grit and endurance.

Coach Walsh is an expert in endurance. He coaches the cross country team at Cuthbertson High, collecting an impressive five straight state championships.

Montalvo hoped to be part of that squad when she tried out for the middle school team. Her 7 minute, 30 second mile meant she barely made it. But Walsh said while he looks for speed, he also looks for character.

“Part of our sport is, how much pain and discomfort can you take every day?” he said.

After the first practice, Montalvo wanted to quit.

“I sat in the car and started crying,” she said.

But she kept showing up to the track. Walsh said she earned her spot over and over again.

“She is the ultimate team player,” he said.

She was consistently getting faster, but never first. By her senior year, Montalvo saw Division I recruiters chasing after her elite teammates.

There weren’t any running after her, so Coach Walsh emailed Remy Tamer, the cross country coach at High Point University -- a program Montalvo hoped to join.

“If you have room on your roster, I can guarantee you she is going to show up and be a really good, calming presence and bring a great attitude and pick everyone up every day, she’s going to make everyone on you team better,” Walsh said.

He said Tamer responded, “‘Yeah, you’re right, she doesn’t meet our recruiting standards. But if she is who you say she is, we need her on our team.’”

Character earned Montalvo a walk-on spot. Her dream of running in college was within reach.

“I didn’t even expect to get run on a D-1 team like that,” Montalvo said. “It’s just not really heard of.”

But during her senior season, Montalvo was struggling. At nationals, it was clear something was wrong.

“I cant describe how hard it was, it was like I was running against a wall,” she said.

She went for a blood test at Levine Children’s Hospital.

“She tested really, really low, like alarmingly low, for ferritin, which is a marker of your body’s ability to retain iron,” Coach Walsh said.

Her iron was so low that she was borderline anemic. She finally understood why she felt so awful for so long.

“I knew something wrong,” Montalvo said. “To get those results afterwards, I was really relieved.”

It wasn’t a fast fix though. She started taking supplements and eating an iron-rich diet. She was training all summer, just trying to feel her best before her freshman year at High Point.

“I wasn’t on scholarship so I felt like I really had to earn my spot,” she said.

And as the season began, Montalvo emerged a different runner, taking everyone by surprise. She ran a mile an entire minute faster than ever before.

“That was completely unexpected, I’m going to be completely honest,” Walsh said.

After a whirlwind season this fall, Montalvo -- the unrecruited walk-on -- was named the Big South Freshman of the Year. It was a finish no one could have predicted, but it recognized her persistence.

“I would attribute to it to staying in the game,” Walsh said. “Fighting through all of the things that you fight through, the one thing she never did was quit. The Big South Freshman of the Year, I mean, what the heck is that?”

Montalvo is humble about the honor. It’s a trophy that represents more than one race. It represents a pace she set back in middle school -- to just keep going.

“Being passionate and showing up every day and being there for others is the most important thing,” she said.

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