April 29, 2025
East Ridge High Graduate Tyler Azcano Showing Anything Is Possible at FSU
By Kyle Coppola
East Ridge High Graduate Tyler Azcano Showing Anything Is Possible at FSU
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Tearing both hamstrings would derail most runners — but not Tyler Azcano.
The Florida State University sophomore and Clermont native turned the lowest point of his athletic career into a springboard for greatness. In January, Azcano captured the 60-meter title at the Clemson Invitational with a blistering time of 6.60 seconds and letting the track world know that he has returned.
“I hope to inspire people to work hard and never give up on what you love,” Azcano said.
Azcano’s path to the Seminoles’ roster — and national prominence — was anything but typical. He first fell in love with running during football conditioning drills at East Ridge High School. After clocking a swift 10.8 seconds in the 100 meters as a junior, Azcano shifted his focus fully to track and field.
By his senior year, he had earned a berth to the prestigious New Balance Nationals Indoor meet in March 2022. But disaster struck in the first round of the 200 meters, when Azcano tore both hamstrings mid-race.
“I didn’t finish the race. I was lying on the track,” Azcano said. “I thought my dreams were over.”
Graduating with a 4.3 GPA and no college offers in hand, Azcano took a gap year — but he never abandoned his love for running. Encouraged by former coach Maurice Campbell, Azcano returned to the track in late 2022 with a renewed sense of purpose.
“My coach convinced me I could come back and be as good as I am right now,” Azcano said.
What followed was a stunning resurgence. He tore through the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit in 2023, running a personal best 10.09 seconds in the 100 meters at the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships. That performance earned him a spot on Team USA for the Pan American U20 Championships in Puerto Rico, where he captured gold.
Azcano initially committed to Florida A&M University before transferring to FSU, where he now competes for the Seminoles while studying business with aspirations of becoming a lawyer.
Despite his rapid rise, Azcano remains grounded, crediting his faith, family, and inner drive for his success.
For Azcano, he knows the road ahead will be tough — but he’s ready.
“Every time I step on the track, I think about how far I’ve come,” he said. “I’m not done yet.”
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
