Wingspan: Who is your biggest motivator in cross country?

Jauregui: “My biggest motivator for cross country is competition. I want both my team and myself to be faster so we can succeed beyond the district meet.”

Wingspan: How long have you been running competitively and why did you start?

Jauregui: ”I have loved to run ever since elementary school. My school had an after school running program, and I loved to do 5ks outside of school. My running became more serious in 6th grade, when I joined a summer track club, and since then, I’ve been a serious long-distance runner. When I was little, I played football for several years and mostly hated it. It wouldn’t be until several years later when I realized that I could just run, no pads or helmets, just me doing what I loved.”

Wingspan: Do you have any pre race rituals?

Jauregui: “We like to have team dinners the night before the meet. I was really glad when we could start doing those again. On the mornings of a meet, I always make sure to eat something. I usually have something small, like a granola or protein bar.”

Wingspan: What is your favorite part about cross country?

Jauregui: “My favorite part of cross country is the social aspects of the team. Whether it be in practice or team dinner, getting together as a team and just being together has created so many great team memories that I know I’ll never forget.”

Wingspan: What is the hardest part about cross country?

Jauregui: “The hardest part of Cross Country for me is the grind of it all. Although I consider myself a morning person, getting up early every day for hard workouts never gets easy, although it is rewarding.”

Wingspan: Do you see yourself running competitively in college, if so where do you want to do it?

Jauregui: “Whether or not I run in college depends on how fast I can get by the end of senior year. If I run, I want to run at one of the best running schools like the University of Oregon.”