Galloway brothers enjoy challenges
Both Mamush and Kayamo play 3 sports
Oviedo High brothers Kayamo and Mamush Galloway love running into a good showdown — no matter if it’s on a cross country course, basketball court or track.
“They’re both incredibly gifted athletes,” said Lions boys cross country coach Dave Tibbetts, who is in his second year at the helm of the program.
The Galloway brothers are so gifted, in fact, that they are busy preparing for a run at a fourth consecutive state cross country team title. The duo helped private school power Trinity Prep to Class 2A championships in 2015 and 2016, and then transferred to Oviedo as sophomores last year and helped the Lions win the Class 4A crown.
They opened the 2018 season by finishing 1-2 at last Saturday’s seasonopening Trinity Prep Invitational. Kayamo won the race in a time of 17 minutes, 15.90 seconds for 5,000 meters (roughly 3.1 miles). Mamush was right behind at 17:16.30.
“I feel like the team has a lot of talent returning from last year,” said Kayamo, who at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, is an intimidating-looking cross country runner. “We’ve been working since the beginning of summer, so we could easily go for another state championship.”
Although Oviedo returns only three runners from its top seven at the 2017 state meet — the Galloways and senior Angel Vicioso — the Lions boast a talented and deep 32-man roster.
Yes, that’s right — 32 runners, a squad that looks more like a track and field team.
“This year, I think we can be really good,” said Mamush, who at 6-foot-3 is the taller of the two brothers. “We have a young team. This summer, the freshmen and sophomores have been putting in a lot of work. When we do the workouts together, you can see it. They’re really good.”
Leading that way are the Galloways, who have been running for most of their lives. They were born in Ethiopia and adopted by an American family at an early age. They are not identical twins and are slightly different in age, but are in the same grade level as juniors.
“I’ve been running since kindergarten,” said Kayamo. “I started in cross country. Lawton Elementary (in Oviedo) had a cross country program.”
Kayamo has enjoyed the fruits of his labors.
He twice has placed in the top 10 individually at state, finishing third in 2015 with a time of 16 minutes, 2.86 seconds, and seventh in 2016 with a blistering 15:46.50 performance. Last year, competing in a class with larger schools, he finished 11th (16:03.16).
Mamush has been the most improved of the brothers. In 2015, he finished 68th (17:41.21) at the state meet. In 2016, he dropped his time to 16:21.76 and finished 26th. Last year, he finished 29th in 4A (16:29.58).
He said an increased running regimen has helped him drop time. He estimates he logs 50 miles per week as a run-up to the season, a grueling routine he says is very necessary.
“The competition now is like crazy,” Mamush said. “Everybody’s fast and everybody’s out there running.”
The Galloways, along with Vicioso, are aiming to run in the mid-15s this season — times that could give Oviedo another state title if its newer runners can come along.
“I think with Angel, Kayamo and Mamush, we have a dang good shot of going back-to-back (state championships),” Tibbett said. “Those 4, 5, 6 and 7 runners have some development to do.”
The long-distance running also has helped the Galloway brothers on the basketball court.
Unlike some of the athletes, they don’t have to wait around to get what coaches call “basketball legs.” They were also starters for the Oviedo varsity basketball team as sophomores.
“I think both (sports) help me out,” said Kayamo, who as a point guard/ shooting guard helped the Lions reach the 9A region playoffs last year. “The running helps me on the court. … the sprinting back and forth.”
Both brothers say they like cross country and basketball equally and will choose the best offer that colleges present to them. But for now, it’s all about running 3.1 miles and winning another state cross country title — a challenge that Mamush says never gets old.
“It’s a new group every time,” Mamush said, “so, I feel like they want to win just as bad. I want to go out there with them. I want to go work, too.”