Girls Season Preview 2020

Fort Vancouver High School Cross Country

Season Preview 2020(1) 

After months and months of uncertainty, there will be a 2020 cross country season after all.  However, in true COVID fashion, it will not be taking place in the year 2020.  Instead, for the first time ever, cross country will be run in the late winter/early spring, beginning February 1^st of 2021.  In spite of all of the challenges that have already been overcome, and are still to be faced in the future with all of the changes associated with dealing with the pandemic, this year’s girls cross country team figures to still be in for a special season.  For the past eight months starting in June, the varsity girls have been meeting every morning to train for a season that they weren’t ever sure was even going to happen.  Over those months the girls have bonded like no team before.  They dealt with the heat in the summer, temperatures in the 20s during the winter, and they’ve traveled several hours for the opportunity to run non-school related club races. All of this with the hope of getting to represent the program they all love- and each other- this season.  Never has a Fort team been closer than these girls have grown to become in the last eight months.  And to be honest, never has one needed the time to grow like this team.  With three freshman in the top seven who have never run a high school race, two athletes who don’t even attend Fort, and just one senior, the time together has been vital for the 2020(1) team.  Let’s meet the girls!

To introduce the 2020(1) Trapper cross country team, you must start with the heartbeat of the team, senior Gillian Snyder.  With all of the uncertainty surrounding the season, it was Snyder who kept the team together.  The captain of this year’s squad, Gillian’s pride in the program and drive to lead the young team cannot be overstated.  Her experience of being a part of the 2018 team that won a League Championship and qualified for State is invaluable as well.   This team will run well this season in large part due to her, and the sacrifices she made to keep this team together.  Snyder has a personal record time of 23:30, which she attained at Regionals last year.  All of her fastest races have come in the Trapper’s biggest meets, another trait that makes her such an amazing leader.  The other senior contributor this season will be Mihayla Smith. In her second year with the team, Smith is well known for her toughness and grit on the course.  Like a team mom, she keeps the team motivated, positive, and excited for every day.  Her personal best time of 25:33 should go down in her final season. 

Alongside Snyder for that incredible run in 2018 were two freshman, Shelby Willett and Emma Cortez.  Now juniors, their experience of having been a part of the greatest team in school history and helping to build the culture of Fort cross country has been huge in their development as well.  Willett, now a team captain with Snyder, figures to be one of the top returning runners in the league.  After earning 2^nd team All-League in the 3A GSHL last year and finishing with a personal record time of 21:47, Willett has already run 21:15 this club season and figures to challenge for a sub 21:00 minute 5K time and a spot on the 2A 1^st Team All-League. Cortez, who had a standout freshman season and finished fifth on the team at State with a personal best time of 23:25, was sidelined by an injury for most of last season which kept her from competing.  If she can return to her freshman self, or even better, Cortez will make a big impact on this year’s team.  One other retuning runner from the junior class is Cindy Ayala-Cruz.  Cindy has several races under her belt in her two years in the program.  She will help lead the next wave of runners.  Rounding out the junior class are a pair of tennis players,  Maria Mendez Tomas and Monserrat Martinez-Delgadillo.  Both newcomers have shown athleticism and will make big improvements in their first seasons. 

The sophomore group is small, but mighty, with only returning runner Dani Buttrell among the varsity top seven.  If you’re just going to have one, though, that one might as well be one of the best runners in the whole State; which Buttrell figures to be.  Last season Buttrell became the fastest freshman in school history with a personal best time of 19:41 at the State Championships.  By placing 54^th, she also became the highest placing freshman ever and produced one of the top five seasons in the history of Fort Vancouver girls cross country.  Topping last year’s performance will be difficult, but regardless, Buttrell is without a doubt one of the best runners in the State at the 2A level.  Fellow sophomore Bri Vargas has been a very pleasant surprise in the early season.  New to cross country this year, Vargas showed a lot of promise during the track season before it was shut down last spring.  Vargas may be one of the most talented runners in the program, but it will take time as she grows into a true distance runner.  Nancy Akhnoukh is the final sophomore this season and is growing in confidence every day.

Finally, the freshman.  In terms of size and ability, this could be the best freshman girl’s class in school history.  At the top of the list is Pamela Melchor-Burgos, who’s quickly established herself as one of the hardest working and most determined runners in the program. Melchor-Burgos very early on earned the respect from her teammates after finishing fourth on the team in a personal best 22:45 during a November club race.  That mark will put her up near some of the best freshman times in the league, and in the history of the Fort program.  Her freshman partner in crime this offseason has been Ava Arroyo. A converted dancer who attends Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, Arroyo has made up for lack of distance running experience with incredible foot speed.  Her current personal best time of 24:03 came in her only club race this season and will fall quickly as she continues to improve.  If Arroyo can meet her potential, this team becomes a lot more dangerous.  The last freshman who could crack the top seven is Athiena Ghormley. One of the two best runners at McLoughlin Middle School last year with Melchor-Burgos, Ghormley has a ways to go but could find her way into a varsity role by the time the season comes around.  The freshman depth is aided by Monica Campos, Evelyn Leal and Madelyn Kirkpatrick.  All three runners do not have cross country experience but have competed in other sports that will guide them as they break into cross country.