Cross country team competes at the Annual Spanish River Invitational

in Game Coverage/Sports by

Waking up bright and early, fourteen students from the varsity cross country team competed at the Annual Spanish River Invitational Sept. 17.

They competed against runners from Region 3A. The meet was a 3.1-mile or five-kilometer run. Unlike most other cross country meets, this race did not take place in the woods and the route was mostly grass.

“I like comparing running to a game of chess because it involves a lot of strategy. I’m always calculating my next move by pacing myself based on how I feel,” junior Ashley Fitzgerald said.

Her strategy proved successful: Fitzgerald won First Place in the girls’ varsity division, with a new personal record of 18:09, which comes out to 5:48 per mile. Junior Richard Krissel also got a new personal record of 17:54.

Fitzgerald broke her personal record this weekend, maintaining her title as the fastest female junior in Fla. and advancing to the third fastest female varsity runner in the state. (Photos/Ashley Fitzgerald and FLMileSplit)
To prepare, the team took ice baths Friday, Sept. 16 so that their soreness from practicing wore off. The water hits temperatures of about 40°F. (Photo/Sienna Alvarez-Coia)

Now a senior at American Heritage, Anya returns as Editor-in-Chief of the Patriot Post. With her passion for journalism, she is Co-President of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society. She started an organization called “ActionPAKT: Projects Advocating for a Kinder Tomorrow” to educate youth about current issues and help them take action; currently, she has expanded it to 15+ chapters in multiple countries, raising $17,000 within the Heritage chapter itself. As a Youth Ambassador for Bullets4Life, Anya advocates for gun control. She leads the top Model UN program in the nation as President, competing nationally and organizing conferences at school. To relax, Anya hangs out with friends, swims, goes on walks and binge watches Netflix. She loves the beach, good food and her lazy little dog Simba more than anything.