By Keira Zhong
Staff Writer
Senior cross country captain Kaitlyn Reyes dashed down the path, wind blowing away any sense of nervousness until only confidence lingered. Her pounding heart and the burning sensation in her legs only strengthened her determination to win. With Reyes’ remaining stamina, she narrowed her focus and sprinted past the finish line, the crowd cheering for her victory.
Reyes earned first place in the three-mile race at the 42nd Annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic on Sept. 15, competing against 328 girls from 32 schools. The invitational was a two day meet at Great Park in Irvine.
“It was all very surreal to me and I couldn’t believe what was happening,” Reyes said. “Although I was exhausted, my team bombarded me with congratulations. Beforehand, I was nervous because I had to skip the season’s first meet due to my injury. I wanted to prove to myself I could do well after not training as hard as I’d prefer.”
Reyes’ leg injury prevented her from attending regular practice and shifted her everyday running to only five or six days a week. Through support from her coach and teammates, she persevered through injury and was available to race.
“I told her to do as well as she could and she ended up winning,” cross country coach Mike Tomasulo said. “She stands mature beyond her years in training, effort and attitude, leading the cross country team through example so others can follow in her steps at their own pace.”
Reyes’s biggest influence, her father, exposed her to running from a young age. She joined the team during her sophomore year and earned the title of captain at the end of junior year.
“There’s times where I’m either prioritizing school or cross country,” Reyes said. “I want to do well in both and sometimes it’s frustrating. I hope to continue running when I go to college, and after that, I’ll run recreationally.”
Last season, the team ranked third in the Rio Hondo League. Individually, Reyes placed top 10 in the three-mile category, contributing to their advancement to CIF. This year, the team needs third place or above in league to qualify for CIF prelims.
“For a new runner, it’s hard to get into cross country,” Reyes said. “The biggest thing is consistency, because you’re able to build up a lot of strength overtime to get used to running but without it, it cannot happen.”