On the right track: Bumpus 8th grader breaking records, turning heads

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Middle Schools

Reese Gonzalez first discovered a fondness for running from her parents, David and Joy Gonzalez, who both competitively ran in college years ago.

She mainly did it for fun when she was very young, but now as an eighth grader at Bumpus Middle School, the 13-year-old is making a solid mark in the running community in Hoover and across the state.

Because of her talent, Reese was bumped up from middle school to run with the Hoover High School cross-country team this year.

At the state cross-country championship in November, she ran an impressive sub-18-minute time over the 5K (3.1-mile) course, upsetting three-time defending state champion Sarah Tole, a senior at Auburn High School.

Reese clocked 17:57.58, giving her the fastest time among all 992 girls competing in all classes at the state championship.

She also broke the record for fastest time ever for Hoover High School and is the first female cross-country state champion for Hoover High — as a middle schooler.

“I was definitely surprised at my time,” she said. “I just showed up to run that day and had it in my mind I was just going to do the best I could. I was a little nervous because I was running against athletes that are older than I am, but I had no expectations prior to the race, so it was all really cool in the end.”

Reese also won the 3,200-meter race at the 7A state indoor championship at the Birmingham Crossplex on Jan. 31 and placed third in the 1,600-meter race.

Hoover High School cross-country and track coach Devon Hind, who retired in 2021 after coaching his 42nd state championship team but returned to Hoover High for the 2025-2026 school year, said Reese is pure talent.

“I can’t take a lot of credit for her because she hasn’t run a lot for me, but she is a very smart and natural runner,” Hind said. “I say a smart runner because of the way she thinks when she races. It is a bit unusual for someone of her age to think that way. When she was racing in her state competition, the girl she ended up beating initially caught back up to her at one point, and sometimes that can freak out a younger runner to have someone catch up and pass them. Reese maintained her composure throughout the race and ended up beating the girl who passed her by about 15 seconds. She is clearly a really great competitor.”

Hind has coached thousands of runners since he first began coaching the sport in 1978.

“You have a lot of runners who will start out really young and tire out early on,” he said. “We always want to be cautious about that because you don’t want to burn out a young runner. I think Reese seems really dedicated to the sport and seems to really be very natural at what she does.”

Hind does not plan to return to Hoover next year to coach but said he has enjoyed getting to know Reese and watch her develop into a very strong athlete who garners attention from across the state.

“She is becoming known as a really strong athlete, and she continues to prove herself as someone to watch out for in terms of a competitor,” Hind said.

Reese said running has always been a part of who she is. “But I come from a family of runners, so it was very easy to enter the world of running,” she said.

When she was little, she would run one-mile fun runs. She didn’t start running cross-country until the seventh grade, when she decided to try out the sport for fun.

A competitive female soccer player since the age of 3, Reese thought cross-country running would be similar to soccer because soccer also involves a lot of running, and she said she has enjoyed it so far.

David Gonzalez, Reese’s dad, said watching his daughter enjoy a sport he has also enjoyed for many years is pure fun.

“When Joy and I had kids, we were always curious to see if any of them would have a natural inclination to run,” he said. “You kind of let your kids pick what they want to do naturally. I ran at the collegiate level at Ohio State, and Joy ran at the University of Illinois, so running is definitely in Reese’s blood.”

David Gonzalez said Reese is a tough competitor and has taken to the sport of running quickly.

“We did not expect her to win state, and it has been great to see her smile and grow and learn to love the joy of running,” he said.

Joy Gonzalez said she loves seeing her daughter run because running teaches her about life.

“She challenges herself, is courageous and disciplined, and this is about her learning to be successful — not just athletics,” Joy Gonzalez said. “She is pretty self-motivated. We just stress hard work, and it is OK to fail, but it is not OK to not try.”

Reese gathers with teammates the night before a competition for what they call a “pasta party” to fuel up on carbs for running. She particularly likes spaghetti with meat sauce.

Bumpus Middle School Coach Ben Vick said it has been a lot of fun watching Reese develop as a runner.

“You come across a lot of kids that have a lot of talent, but they maybe don’t have a ton of drive,” Vick said. “Or, you have a kid who has a lot of drive but maybe not a ton of talent. When you happen to come across someone that has both the talent and drive, it is a really beautiful thing, and Reese has that. She is someone who is very easy to work with, and she has this wonderful, quiet spirit that allows her to do things really well.”

Vick said Reese is also very talented at soccer, so he anticipates she will be a successful athlete with whatever venture she chooses down the road.

“She has a mental toughness that allows her to be successful at whatever she puts her mind to,” Vick said. “She also has a support system around her that really propels her to be a great athlete. If she wants to continue pursuing running in the future, I think she will have great success with it.”

Reese will continue running indoor track through March, something she is excited about pursuing.

“I am really just enjoying it at this stage, and look forward to seeing my times at future races,” she said. “I am just thankful I get to do it right now.”