He’s not just the fastest distance runner in the state. Eric Ortega-Gammill also is talented concert pianist.
Ortega-Gammill says those two talents are related.
And thank to his combination of strong athletics and academics, he will have a scholarship to Santa Clara in the fall.
He’s also a heart surgery survivor.
Ortega-Gammill is a senior at Reno High, where his older brother, Kyle Ortega-Gammill, also excelled on the track and in class. Kyle is now running for Washington, where he’s a sophomore.
Eric Ortega-Gammill a top high school track runner in Nevada
Last week at the Arcadia Invitational in Arcadia, California, which boasts an elite field of some of the top runners from the West, Eric Ortega-Gammill posted a time of 8 minutes, 59.09 seconds in the 3200-meter race. That time is the best in Nevada this spring.
Ortega-Gammill has the fastest time in Nevada in the 1600 (4:13.75) and 3200.
Ortega-Gammill said choosing Santa Clara was easy as it provides a good mix of athletics and academics.