NSW All Schools: The remarkable one year progression of Alice Hill and Dylan Ruming

Month

Performances

Comment/quotes

Sept 2025

-Before season PB was 57.93.

-Wins NSW All Schools 55.93 PB

October 2025

“I found out about World U20 Champs in around October 2025. My coach told me I may have a chance to scratch into a relay team, I never considered that I would get the opportunity to run individually.”

January 2026

-Wins NSW Country Championships in 54.32 PB

“The moment I realised I might have a chance to make the team was at NSW Country Champs in January where I ran a new PB at the time of 54.32. I remember thinking after the race like wow I might actually have a chance to make this team.”

February to April 2026

-Wins Australian U20 400m title 53.34 PB

Dominates Australian U20 400m scene all summer winning National title - still aged just 16-years.

May 2026

-Wins Oceania U20 title.

Selected in World U20 team in the 400m and 4x400m relays.

August 2026

World U20s

Day 2 - 400m heat, 400m semi 53.28 PB

Day 3 – 400m final 9th 53.16 PB

Day 4 – 4x400m heat, qual for final

Day 5 – 4x400m final, silver medal 3:31.39

Superlatives overall

-Five races in four days

Superlatives 400m

-Youngest in final

-Ninth Aussie to make the final, behind seven Olympians and one Commonwealth gold medallist

-set fifth and sixth PBs in 2026

Superlatives 4x400m relay

– third fastest time in AUS history

Reflection/ Future

“I am very happy with my progression over the last 12 months. I think it is a testament to the dedication I have as well as the supportive team around me including my coach, parents and training squad. I am so excited to see where I can go from here, and am looking forward to getting back out on the track this All Schools.“

Month

Performances

Comment/quotes

Sept 2025

-Started season with a PB of 50.69 seconds

-3rd U18 NSW All Schools PB 49.41

“I’d been following the World U20 Championships since Lima 2024.”

December 2025

Ran PBs 100m (10.97) and 200m (21.80)

January 2026

-Wins NSW Country Championships in 49.23 PB

February to March 2026

-48.31 PB in Canberra

-47.54 PB in NSW Champs

“I didn’t even think about if I had a chance or not to make the World U20 Champs team because I only just ran a 47 for the first time two weeks before Nationals and I had no clue on what the qualifying time was.”

April 2026

-Wins Australian U18 400m title in a 47.31 PB

“After I ran at nationals and got the qualifying time I was waiting to see what the U20s would run to see if I even had a chance at all, but after I saw that my time was competitive, I knew I had somewhat of a chance.”

May 2026

-Wins Oceania U20 title in 47.00 PB

(+ 200m PB of 21.18 by 0.61 seconds)

Maintains his undefeated record in 400s at State, National and Oceania level

Selected in World U20 team in the 4x400m relays.

August 2026

World U20s

Day 1 – mixed 4x400m heat AND Final – Bronze medal 3:18.45

Day 4 - 4x400m heat, qual for final (team placed 4th in final)

Superlatives Mixed 4x400m relay

-ran 46.87 lead off leg

-Broke Australian record

-#4 World All-time list

-10 hours between heat and final

Specialisation

“I’ve been doing athletics since a little kid in Little A’s and was doing all these different types of sports at state level - State swimming, State cross country, State triathlons, and very high level soccer - pretty much any sport you can think of. I was doing all this till about a year and a half ago and that’s when I decided to focus just on athletics and drop all the other sports I was doing. As I knew i was starting to get better.”

Progression/ reflection

“My progression from last year I was not expecting at all, and it is pretty mind blowing in my opinion, I think my progression mainly came from me just focusing on athletics and just training for the 200m and 400m without all the other sports. I started having more self-belief and started to focus on more training with my coach Kate Lynch.”