Many teenagers would balk at a 4:00 a.m. wake up time, but Isabel Quintero Soria, cross country athlete at Dysart High School, laced up early to beat the heat each day and was committed to staying in shape and focused on the sport during the closures.
“It was difficult because of everything going on, but I made it my goal to run early everyday as the sun rose to make sure I did not lose focus,” said Quintero-Soria.
Isabel has been a member of the varsity cross country team since her freshman year. She started her journey with the team when Ivory Carson, Math teacher and cross country coach, encouraged her to try out.
“Coach told me about the team, and I tried out and was surprised at how fast I was and how much I enjoyed it,” said Quintero-Soria.
Coach Carson recognized her natural talent right away.
“At the Sectional Meet in 2017, Isabel told me the time she would run before the race, which was well beyond her personal best. She ran faster than the time she quoted,” stated Carson. “That day verified something I felt. Isabel is that quiet leader who does what she says and says what she does.”
Isabel has grown as an athlete and member of the team. She was chosen as senior captain this year to lead her close-knit team.
“My team is a family to me,” she said. “I have a different mindset when I am with them. We motivate one another and we just really just love to run together.”
Isabel not only looks to her team for strength but also her coach.
“Coach Carson is a father figure, he keeps us on track not only in sports but also in class he helps everyone out,'' she said. “He’s definitely the one to go if you need motivation or just someone to talk about life.”
Speaking of family, Isabel is the youngest of nine children and has a ton of support from her large household and her own personal cheering section at competitions.
“It’s crazy. I have five brothers and three sisters. It is awesome to hear them encouraging me from the sidelines during meets.”
Isabel competed in the AIA Division II State Cross Country Meet for the past three years and established herself as the number seven cross country runner all-time at Dysart High School. Her desire for her senior season is to move up the all-time list breaking the school record of 19:53.2 held by Gabriel Gomez. With a successful senior season, she will be inducted into the prestigious 100 mile club, an honor bestowed upon four year letter winners in cross country at Dysart High School.
“She inspires others to excellence,” said Carson.
In addition to cross country, Isabel ran track for the first time last season but it was cut short because of COVID-19. Even in the brief season she established herself as the two-mile specialist on the team placing sixth at the Richard Thompson South Mountain Invitational and earning fourth place running the lead-off leg in the 4x800 relay.
Isabel is working arduously to attain a cross country scholarship at an in-state college to major in Criminal Justice with the hope of becoming a lawyer or a detective.