Katrina Cantwell (9) has been exceeding expectations and breaking records this year for the Fair Grove High School Cross Country team.
On September 9th, Cantwell broke the school record after running a 20:44 5k. After shattering the record for cross country, Cantwell says she felt surprised, exclaiming, “I can’t believe it, are you joking? There is no way.” (Editor’s update: since the publishing of this article, Cantwell has broken her own record again, now standing at 19:44.)
Cantwell went on to break the record a second time on September 14th by running a 20:22 which won her second place in a very tough competition at the Hollister Invitational.
Her teammate Evyn Jones (12) stated, “Katrina brings a very excited energy to the team. She’s a very energetic and outgoing teammate. We love bragging about her and her accomplishments.” Evyn also said that Katrina gives the team a lot of hope and energy.
Cantwell’s coach, Jalen Supancic, stated, “Her fun-loving attitude has allowed her to fit well into our program and has given her a pivotal role in helping shape our culture.”
Supancic also said, “Katrina will continue to improve and shoot for high goals at the end of October. She has been setting challenging goals for herself and is wanting to finish competitively in the District and State meets at the pinnacle of our season.” He went on to say that he expects her to work hard and drive her PR and school record down even lower.
Cantwell says she plans on accomplishing her goals of state by running along with the boys varsity team. Jones stated, “Trina has challenged herself by starting to run with the boys team, and by always pushing herself to do better than the person in front of her.”
Jones said, “She forces us to try to do better for her and with her. Having a teammate like that makes everyone want to accomplish great things and big goals.”
As Cantwell continues to work hard to break her school record throughout the year, he coaches expect her to keep working on strength to increase her speed and endurance.
Her other teammate, Elise Jackson (9th), stated, “She runs not just at practice but at home too, getting in the extra miles.”
As Cantwell continues to work towards qualifying in state, she is encouraging her teammates to do the same. Jackson mentioned that Katrina encourages her teammates by pushing them and being their friend on the course.
As Cantwell pushes through her freshman cross country season at Fair Grove, her teammates and coaches are optimistic that she will accomplish so much more.
