While she was at Montgomery County High School, Lyric Ford broke school records in three events in track and field and set the school-record time in cross country.

Now, she’s the school record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at Maryville University.

Ford ran a school-record time 11 minutes, 25.9 seconds in her fifth-place finish at the event at the Gibson Invitational on April 20 at Indiana State University. It was the first time she competed in the steeplechase, which features 7.5 laps, 28 barriers and seven water jumps.

The accomplishment marked another outstanding season in cross country and track for Ford at Maryville. She ran in six cross country meets, six indoor track meets and four outdoor track meets for the NCAA Division II school in St. Louis during the 2024-2025 season.

Ford graduated from MCHS in 2023. She earned four all-state medals each in cross country and track.

Ford is the Wildcats’ school record holder in the 800, 1600 and the 3,200-meter relay. She broke records in the 800 and 1,600 in her senior year and helped the 4x800 – which also included Malia Rodgers, Claire Cobb and Makenna Schmidt – set a school mark in her junior season. In cross country, Ford ran a school-record time of 18:16.9 in her senior year.

When Ford broke Maryville’s record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in April, she surpassed the old mark of 11:28.37 that was set by Justine Eckhoff in 2015. She also placed second among all women in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in the event.

Two weeks later, Ford competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase again at the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship meet at Romeoville, Ill., and placed seventh with an 11:46.39.

Ford had three first-place finishes in track. She came out on top in the 3,000-meter run with a 10:25.22 at Saluki Fast Start at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the 1,500-meter run with a 4:45.82 at the Southwest Baptist Invitational. She was also part of a winning distance medley relay team at the Snow Bird Invite at Illinois College.

Ford set personal-best times in the 1,500 at the University of Central Missouri Mule Relays, the 3,000-meter run at the GLVC Indoor Championships and the mile at the Washburn Indoor Open.

Ford also turned in a strong season in cross country. She earned all-conference honors for the first time after placing 15th with a personal-best time of 22:10 at the GLVC championship meet in Springfield, Ill. She was the Saints’ top runner at the NCAA MIdwest Regional meet for the second year in a row as she placed 54th with a 22:54.47 at the regional meet at Romeoville, Ill. She began her sophomore year with a third-place finish at the UIS Prairie Stars Invitational in Springfield.

Last year, Ford earned GLVC Freshman of the Year honors in cross country after placing 25th in the conference meet.

Ford will be a junior at Maryville this fall. She was named to the school’s dean list every semester.

Maryville head cross country/assistant track coach Charles Pruitt said Ford will continue to be a valuable member for both cross country and track teams for the next two years.

“She is very consistent in practice and races and always shows up ready to give it her all, which I think everyone else really feeds off of,” he said. “She obviously has a lot of potential yet to be unlocked.  Her school record in her very first steeplechase is evident in that.”