In her final competition of the season, junior Adeline Armato became the first girl from UPrep to compete in the Washington State Cross Country Competition since 2019, finishing 45th out of 154 at the Nov. 9 meet.
Persevering through 38 degree weather and general overuse injuries, Armato ran an “aggressive, tough, race” that made her coaches and teammates proud said cross country coach Kayla Robertson.
However, Armato did not finish with the time she wanted. Her time of 21:11 was nearly a minute slower than her personal best.
“I was definitely really disappointed. Just with my time and stuff,” Armato said.
The race was a particularly challenging one for Armato, who said that the monotonous golf course that served as grounds for the competition blended together, creating the illusion that she was not making any progress.
“The course just felt really long to me because of all the hills and the repetition. The second and third mile were like the same loop. So I was just thinking about … ‘Is it ever gonna end?’” Armato said.
Armato recognizes that she tends to be hard on herself, as her coaches so frequently remind her. Robertson understands her propensity to be self-critical, but also sought to impress a more optimistic perspective on Armato.
“I know that she was disappointed in some ways. Your last race this season–you know, it’s easy to want your personal best. And I just reminded her that it’s going to be a PR no matter what because it’s a new course,” Robertson said. “So thinking, not just outcome, but thinking process– kind of the goals and steps and challenges that you’ve overcome to get here.”
If you had told a sixth grade Armato that she would one day be competing in state tournaments, she wouldn’t have believed you. Only a coupleof years ago, mandatory mile runs in PE class invokedan unparalleled dread in her middle school self.
But after finishing as the first girl in the annual eighth grade run around Green lake, it dawned on Armato that “maybe [she] was good at running.” So, when her parents encouraged her to participate in a sport her sophomore year, she joined the cross country and track teams. Since then, Armato has begun to love competing.
“Pushing through those challenges, surprising myself with the results, and seeing just how much I have improved is why I like it so much,” Armato said
After a summer of arduous training, Armato emerged as one of the cross country team’s most competitive runners, placing a comfortable 12 out of 59 in districts to qualify for state. About halfway through her season, however, general overuse injuries and shin splints slowed her progress.
Robertson said she is excited for Armato to return to the team with the experience of competing at state. Already, she has served as a role model for her teammates.
“Whenever you are trying to find someone for encouragement or an example to see how you should pace yourself, you look at Adeline,” team captain and senior Karsten Stuyt said. “She’s very consistent, very disciplined.”
