Girls cross-country runner Sarah Barcelona ‘19 steps up to the starting line at Minooka High School. This is the first time she will be participating in a flight race, a race where each school places one runner per flight, and therefore the first time she will not be running alongside her teammates.

The gun shot fires and Barcelona bolts out to the front, finishing in third place in the third flight, with a time of 18:24 for three miles. She had the best time of the LT varsity runners, despite only being in the third flight.

“I was kind of surprised at how I could stay with runners who would be a lot faster than me in a big race, but I was actually able to stay with them in the flight race,” Barcelona said. “Now I know I can go a lot faster.”

Barcelona has already made her way to the top position on the team, running the three-mile race at a team-best 17:58 at the Palatine Invite. Running her pre-season mile at 5:32, Barcelona demonstrates outstanding consistency in the sport, cross country coach Stetson Steele said.

The team is amazed at how humble she is, despite her incredible and early success. She always brings dedication, focus and discipline to every practice, varsity runner Hannah Dutler ’16 said.

“Sarah is what we call a doer,” Dutler said. “She goes out, takes care of business, and that’s it.”

Barcelona relies on her teammates to push her. Every practice is tough, and the team creates a great atmosphere, Barcelona said.

“When someone comes in as a freshman, and as good as she is, it’s easy to get caught up in the ‘me’,” Steele said. “But Sarah really embraces the idea of the ‘we’. She wants to see the team do well.”

Barcelona’s work ethic has proven to be her key quality. She never complains about a pace being too fast, and she pushes herself everyday, Dutler said.

“What’s amazed me is her resiliency,” Steele said. “I’ve put her through the ringer, in terms of workouts, and she’s responded to anything I throw at her. That’s impressive to me.”

Cross-country has introduced Barcelona to several runners who have grown to be her role models, including Dutler, Barcelona said.

“I am so proud and excited that she is on our team,” Dutler said. “She is always a positive light at every practice, very optimistic, and always excited about working hard.”

Having trained with LT’s varsity track runners since eighth grade, Barcelona has always showed promise as a runner, Dutler said. Barcelona looks forward to track season, and is excited to pursue her cross-country career over the next 4 years.