GRANTS, N.M. - After taking a break from cross country since eighth grade, Joshua Sarracino returned to the sport this year and immediately made an impact. In his first meet back, Sarracino finished in 1st place in the JV race, giving him a strong start to his season.
Sarracino said returning to cross country and earning first place in his first meet back was a good feeling.
“I was in eighth grade, and that was probably the last time I ran cross country,” he said. “And this year, I felt pretty good to get first again in my first meet.”
Sarracino said one thing that helped him during the race was paying attention to the competition around him. By watching the other runners, he was able to judge the competition and recognize that he had a chance to have a good finish.
He said he knew early in the race that he had a strong chance of winning. After getting out in front at the beginning, he felt confident that he could maintain his position.
“At the start of the race, when we got out to the track, I was already in the lead, so I kind of already knew that I was gonna win,” Sarracino said.
His teammates and coaches were also excited to see him finish first. Sarracino said they were surprised and happy with his performance and encouraged him afterward.
“They were surprised. Happy, I guess” he said. “They were just kind of hyping me up because I was doing a good job.”
Going into the Rio Rancho Jamboree on September 19, Sarracino knew he would face tougher competition. He had plans to increase his pace to compete at the varsity level, and in fact, had a pretty good outing.
He finished a respectable 37th for the varsity squad, which finished third overall in the team standings.
For Sarracino, his motivation comes from the people around him, especially his family.
“There are a lot of runners in my family, including my brother,” he said. “It’s nice to have everyone there to encourage me.”
PIRATE XC at the JAMBOREE
The GHS Cross Country teams ran for the second time this season, and both teams once again had a great showing.
The boys team had four runners finish in the top 30, including Nathaniel Saltclah at 11th, Kingston Martinez at 24th and Elias Sarracino at 28th. Kyori Vallo finished 29th, giving the team a third place finish behind only first-place Jemez Valley and second-place Window Rock.
The girls also finished third in the varsity division helped by a remarkable fourth-place finish by Sianalee Chavez. Grants had two other runners finish in the top fifteen, including Alana Victorino at 13th and Kiara Romero at 15th overall.
First place Window Rock and Monument Valley high school out of Utah, were the two teams to beat the Lady Pirates.
The Grants cross country teams are off until October 3, when they will compete in Gallup.