Senior runner Elena Almonte qualified for state at her sectional meet and will participate in the state meet for cross country on Nov. 1 at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
Head coach Lee Sims says Almonte started out just like everyone else: a high school student who simply liked to run. But he believes that the Proctor meet last year was when he realized they had someone special.
“In these four years, she just keeps getting faster. I really have no idea what her ceiling is, which is super fun,” Sims said. “Last year at Proctor she was super sick and still ran a really awesome time. That’s when we realized we have a chance here at qualifying for state, and she confirmed that at the sectional meet.”
Almonte did not have it easy heading into her final year of running. She experienced some knee problems and was not able to get much running in during the summer, so her first half of the season consisted of recovering and taking things slow.
“The second half of the season was when the switch flipped and I really got back into the groove of things,” Almonte explained.
Teammates of Almonte have nothing but good things to say about her words of encouragement and discipline before each race.
“She gives us many pep talks before the race to help calm us down and focus,” sophomore Dillan Skandel said.
Sims says that Almonte is very disciplined and knows her limits with her recent struggles with knee problems. Her focus on conference, and now state, is what makes her successful at a high level.
“At the Swain meet…her knees started to bug her and knew the big goal was four days later, so she decided to drop out, which was a very smart decision,” Sims revealed. “And then four days later, she was ready and dominated the conference meet. She knows how to be disciplined and pull back, but when it’s time to race big, she just keeps showing up.”
During the week of preparation for the state tournament, Almonte’s teammates have been running with her and will be making the trip down to Wisconsin Rapids to support her final race as a Spartan.
“It’s very rewarding to see her complete her goals, it’s like completing them yourself because we all work as a team,” Skandel said.
Sims believes that during the sectional meet she felt good and put herself in the front pack. Not even thinking, just mentally in the zone, running.
“It’s a mindset thing, knowing I belong up in the front, just a self confidence change,” Almonte stated.
Heading into her final race at Superior, Almonte is definitely excited to be back representing Superior, but wants to do better and walk away proud of her performance, knowing it’s her last meet ever.
“I’d like to thank coach Sims and Smith,” Almonte said. “Smith’s always there for me as my backbone for every race and Sims always makes the best decisions for me and knows my body well.”
Almonte is cautiously preparing herself for this golden opportunity, and hopes to leave her mark on cross country at the state level.
