EAST HIGH SPORTS
Running To Victory
Three-time East State Champ Headed To Notre Dame
By Charlotte Renner | GPHN Intern
Rosie Mucharsky went out with a bang in her last season for East High School, claiming first place in the women’s 800 meters and winning her third consecutive 5A state championship.
While she was at it, that day — May 16 — Mucharsky also placed third in the 1600 meters and fourth in the 4×800 meter relay.
As an expert in the 800 meters, Mucharsky has a strategy for the notoriously difficult race, which requires a unique balance of speed and endurance.
“Basically, you’re sprinting for 800 meters,” she said. “But you definitely have to get out fast and then you sort of settle in for the next, like, 300 meters, and then you have to have a strong sprint finish.”
After what Mucharsky described as a somewhat unexpected victory her sophomore year, her confidence grew and carried her to two more championships.
“I didn’t think it was even gonna happen,” she said about her first championship. “And then the second one, I was like, ‘I want to win again. I want to keep my title.’ ”
Mucharsky moved to Park Hill when she was in elementary school. She also played soccer and swam until high school, at which point she committed to running. She ran both track and cross country all four years at East. In her first season, she overlapped with her older sister, Ellison, and the pair finished second in their relay in the 2021 state championship. But her love for the sport began well before high school.
“I started running competitively in middle school, but I had always run with my family, like Turkey Trots and stuff early in life,” she said.
Mucharsky hopes that East’s Track and Field program will continue to instill in its athletes a passion for running and foster a supportive team environment. To do her part for young women, Mucharsky started a run club for middle school girls from all over Denver that she’s leading this summer. She runs almost every day, and once a week she runs over 10 miles. She also plays pickleball, skis, and does yoga. And when her shoes aren’t laced up, her feet are kicked up reading or watching Gossip Girl, but her most rewarding free time, she said, is spent volunteering at Children’s Hospital, hanging out with young patients.
“I feel like it keeps me grounded and grateful for everything in my life,” she said.
Mucharsky was recruited on a full athletic scholarship to run for the Fighting Irish starting in the fall. She also considered Duke, Princeton, Wake Forest, and Virginia. But she chose Notre Dame ultimately because of the coach, who she said may be able to help her to success in the steeplechase, an obstacle course where runners jump over hurdles into the water. The steeplechase was not offered in high school, so it will be one of many challenges and opportunities ahead.
“I’m more excited than nervous,” she said. “It’ll definitely be different, the workouts and stuff will definitely be harder, but I feel like I’m just excited for a new experience.” Φ
