Four freshmen on the Cross Country team ran all three years of junior high: Daniel Carcamo, Emanuel Ramirez, Samuel Rivera, and Liberty Vasquez. Each had their own reason.

“Ever since I ran track in 6th grade, I wanted to start running and also because my uncle is a runner,” Emanuel Ramirez said.

Liberty Vasquez found joy in running Cross Country.

“I was inspired to run all three years because all the hard work pays off,” Liberty said.

Samuel Rivera didn’t intend to do Cross Country for so long.

“The first year was for fun, and then I just wanted to improve,” Samuel said.

Daniel Carcamo wanted to challenge himself.

“Time was one of the things that really got me,” Daniel said. “I just wanted to get a better time to see my improvement.”

These four athletes knew that to compete, they had to be fit, dedicate time to practice, and have the desire to improve. Their coaches helped them.

“Coach Skelton and Coach Jones always kept us informed of all our races and gave us good memories to remember,” Daniel said.

The coaches always supported the students in reaching their goals.

“They helped push me to reach my potential and encouraged me to do so,” Liberty said.

Samuel could not imagine running cross country with any other coaches.

“Coach Skelton and Coach Jones helped me by being the best coaches anyone could wish for,” Samuel said.

The athletes had memorable moments from their final junior high season.

“I enjoyed when the team and I went to the Chili Pepper Race for the first time because the course was unique with new areas to run,” Liberty said.

For Samuel, the race at Fayetteville stood out.

“It was really fun because there were so many people, and we got to splash in the mud,” Samuel said.

Daniel had his most successful season freshmen year.

“I finally started to get medals,” Daniel said. “At the Sparks Stampede 5/10K, I scored my first medal in the three years that I have run Cross Country.”