ERA’s Tate takes his stride to Millsaps

PROTECTED CONTENT

If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.

Username

Password

Login

Lost your password?

Username and Password Help

Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.

Email

Submit

← Back

By Jensen Baker

Mississippi Spirit

Rone Thomas Tate, known as RT to coaches and teammates, has never been the type of runner to measure success solely in trophies or personal records.

For the East Rankin Academy senior, the greatest accomplishment of his high school career is one that cannot be posted on a results board: he never stopped.

That quiet resolve has earned Tate a place on the roster at Millsaps College in Jackson, where he will compete in cross country and track under head coach Brandon Beckett. The commitment marks a milestone not just for Tate, but for the ERA running program that shaped him.

The numbers tell part of the story. Tate is  ranked 8th in the state among seniors in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:42, and 9th in the 3,200-meter at 10:13. He also logged a 2:07 in the 800m, placing 23rd in the senior class statewide.

“Throughout my high school career, there is no specific moment or race that sticks out to me as my most proud,” Tate said. “I have spent the majority of high school feeling that I should be better than I actually was and feeling disappointed with results — both individually and especially as part of the team. Which is why I am most proud of the fact that I simply have not given up.”

It was that love of the sport that caught the eye of Beckett, whose track record coaching in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools made Millsaps an immediate standout for Tate during the recruitment process.

“Millsaps stuck out to me once Coach Beckett reached out,” Tate said. “He has proven himself in the past in the lower levels of the MAIS. I also like his personality, and I think he will build something special with Millsaps’ XC and track programs. He is the primary reason I chose to run at Millsaps.”

For Beckett, the case for Tate was never purely about times or finishes;  character carried just as much weight as athletic ability.  “R.T. loves running and has an incredible work ethic. That is not something you find in every high school runner,” Beckett said. “He has racing instincts that you can’t teach, and I believe R.T. will be a very successful college runner.”

Behind Tate’s development stands ERA head coach David Hopper, whom the runner credits as the defining influence of his athletic life.

“The biggest influence on my running career has definitely been Coach Hopper,” Tate said. “He is a phenomenal coach and has incredible knowledge of the running world. However, I love him for his personality and his ability to mentor. I would not have accomplished anything as a runner without Coach Hopper, and his incredible personality makes him even more special. I will never meet another David Hopper.”

Tate’s path to Millsaps is a reminder that college programs are not built on highlight reels alone. For the Majors, they found something rarer — a runner who simply refuses to quit.