Running into the State Championship

Cross Country Team ends season at State Championships.

Sarah Carreno|November 16, 2022

On Saturday, November 5th, members of the varsity cross country team competed in the FHSAA XC 3A State Championship meet in Tallahassee, Florida.

The top 7 girls with the fastest 5k times qualify to run at the meet. This consisted of Senior Olivia Fraga, Juniors Andrea Comas-Sanchez and Carolina Timiraos, Sophomores Olivia Rodriguez and Lucia Castillo-Rios, and Freshmen Kylie Fernandez and Daniela Fraga.

Senior Olivia Fraga running the FSU Pre-State Invitational. Photo courtesy of Coach Daniel Aguas.

“We didn’t do bad, but a lot of us would have wanted to have run better, because none of us set new PRs, Comas-Sanchez said. “You can’t win them all I guess.”

Even without setting new personal records, the team placed 7th overall in the 3A division, and had Olivia Fraga leading the team by individually placing 5th in the division with a time of 18:20. 

Head coach Daniel Aguas and assistant coaches Daniela Darias and Raul Ley, were there cheering them on along with their friends and families, while most of their teammates who didn’t qualify were staying updated and giving their love and support from home.

“It was really nice to see all my friends and family there to support me and to get a bunch of texts from the girls who didn’t come encouraging me to do well,” Comas-Sanchez said.

The girls have been running since the pre-season throughout the summer to really put them in the best shape possible for the season with the intent of qualifying for States.

They have been working hard all season as well. Their average practices span from between an hour and a half to 2 hours and are 5 to 6 days a week. They run anywhere from 5 to 6 miles, usually with a form of accelerations throughout the runs. They also often practice once or twice a week on the track to help with sprinting and muscle strengthening.

Carolina Timiraos, Olivia Rodriguez, Lucia Castillo-Rios, Kylie Fernandez, Andrea Comas-Sanchez, Olivia Fraga, and Daniela Fraga, at the FHSAA Cross Country State Finals in Tallahassee, Florida. Photo courtesy of Coach Daniel Aguas.

“Our workouts can be hard and really tiresome, but they are worth it because they help us stay in shape and improve our endurance and strength,” Comas-Sanchez said. 

Many of the girls expressed that no matter how they do, the races are always a good form of team bonding. In fact, many of the girls and even some of the coaches went to Disney World in Orlando together after the race. 

“The best part about cross country is that no matter how good or bad you do, the team always has your back and is there to support you,” Comas-Sanchez said.