By Mitch Silver

Rye High senior Dominic Cich runs cross-country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, and outdoor track in the spring. He’s been, or will be, an All-League co-captain of all three teams. And he’s getting better and better. Last month, he ran the 3200 meters, a little more than two miles, in a personal best at the New York State track and field qualifier meet at the New Balance Armory February 20. His winning time of 9:30.65 was a personal best by more than five seconds, and the fastest time in Section 1 all winter.

Not only did that time qualify him to run in the State Championships at the Ocean Breeze track on Staten Island, but he’ll be running in Nationals back at The Armory March 11. As a result of all this footwork, he’s been named Rye Lions Club Athlete of the Month by the Rye High Athletic Department.

Dom comes from running stock. His parents, Jim and Theresa, were both track athletes at the University of Washington. His brother Nicholas graduated from Rye High three years ago, and now attends Georgia Tech.

In the classroom, Dom is an excellent student, with a grade point average “in the high 90s.” He’s won honors in Pre-AP Calculus, Chemistry, Living Environment, and Spanish, and hopes to major in Engineering and Computer Science in college. To that end, he’s taken summer classes offered by Stanford, Harvard, and, most recently, the University of Washington.

His favorite Rye High class is AP Calculus, taught by another Dominic, Mr. Valinoti. “He makes math fun, which not everyone can do,” Dom said.

He’s put his education to work the last three years as an intern at T.A. Sciences, assisting with information technology projects such as organizing data, improving network security, and data entry. In addition, he volunteered Saturdays for several years at the Don Bosco Community Center in Port Chester, helping youngsters learn to code, build, and program robots. “It’s great to see their faces when something they work on comes together,” Dom said. He’s also volunteered at the New Rochelle Community Action Program, helping pack food for the homeless at a local food bank.

Coach Moynihan says of his runner, “Dom’s quiet, humble, an extremely hard worker, and very mature for his age. No matter how hard the workout is, he’ll always complete it.” In turn, Dom thanks his coaches, teammates, and parents for helping him achieve the Lions Club honor.

Dom’s win has earned him the right to join the other monthly winners at the Lions Club’s year-end get-together in June, when the Rye High Athlete of the Year will be announced.