Athlete of the Week – Ava Smith
PC sophomore and cross country runner Ava Smith has been named Jersey Mike’s Athlete of the Week. She ran the fastest 5k in PC history for a sophomore last weekend. Ava shares her answers to AD Lyslo’s Q+A below.
Ava, congratulations on being named PC athlete of the week. What a few weeks it’s been for you. First you break the school record in the 3,000 meters for girls’ Cross country, and then you run the fourth fastest 5,000 meter time this last weekend in the league, which by the way, was also the fastest 5k time in PC history for a sophomore. How has the season gone so far and have you enjoyed it?
This season has been so amazing. The team all support each other, and we finally have enough runners to have two scoring teams. I really enjoy practicing with them, and the bus rides are really fun. Cross country is such a mental sport, so having a great team makes everything better.
Coming into the season, this was your first year in Cross country. Did you have big expectations for how you wanted to run or accomplish this season?
I didn’t really have big expectations for this season. I knew that overall I wanted to be one of the top runners, but I didn’t know how cross country worked with qualification and scoring. I’ve put in work this summer with my trainer Coach Hayes. Now that the season has started, I hope to qualify for state and keep shaving time off of my 5K in the process.
You really came into your own this last season in track where you ran some really good times as a freshman who really hadn’t run before. Has your love for running changed and is this something you ever saw yourself doing?
I actually never really had a desire to run, and this is a road that I never thought I would even be on. I did track for extra conditioning, but after my first track practice with the distance team, my view of running really changed. I was enjoying the sport and the environment was so welcoming. I still didn’t know how to race or pace myself, which I still sometimes struggle with, but having great teammates, like Juliet and Saskia, helped me.
You are obviously in a very competitive league where there are a lot of really good runners and teams. What is the team goal right now as you all continue to improve and look ahead toward districts and maybe even state?
Our team goal leading toward districts is to keep improving, pushing each other, and glorifying God in the process, so we all could have a chance at state.
Coach Jannsen mentioned how much natural ability you have as a runner. How has his guidance been from him as you become one of the top runners in our school and the league for that matter as a sophomore?
Jannsen is one of the best coaches I’ve met. He believes in every athlete on the team, and wants the best for every single one of us. Without his guidance, I would be completely lost on the course and with pacing. I would not be successful without his coaching.
If you had to look five weeks ahead from today, you are right there on the verge of competing at districts down at Fort Stevens. What would be a perfect scenario for you and your team and what will it take to accomplish this?
The perfect scenario for my team and me at districts would be to qualify for state. To accomplish this, we just need to keep putting the work in and supporting each other. We know how much it took to get to districts, and God put us all there for a reason.
