Every day over the summer Sophia Romero ‘24 got up and prepared herself for cross country practice, seeing it as an opportunity to improve at the sport she loved.

“She’s consistent in bringing her toughness into every competition and practice,” coach Lynn Ahlers said. “We love how she takes on challenging workouts with enthusiasm.”

For Romero, cross country started off as it does for most kids, trying out the sport for the first time in seventh grade.

“I liked running,” Romero said. “I did a running club in elementary school, [participated in] run for schools, and my friends were doing [Cross Country].”

While running started out as something fun to do with friends, it soon turned into hard work and dedication to the sport.

“[We] ran all summer, didn’t take many breaks, and definitely did more strengthening things this year,” Romero said.

The summer training culminated in Romero dropping over two minutes during the first meet, and getting put on the varsity team with a time of 13:25 over two miles.

“I was really surprised [to make the varsity team],” Romero said. “I just ran really [well] that time trial.”

Currently, Romero’s fastest time for a five kilometer race is 21:05,

“She shows up to every practice with unconditional positive regard for others,” Ahlers said. “She really seems to value kindness, curiosity, competition, persistence, thoughtfulness, and connection with others.”

Romero loves being part of the team. The team atmosphere pushes her and makes the work “fun”.