Junior Shira Wenthe breaks records. Lots of them. In her three years at GDS, she’s become the school record holder for the 800-meter, 1600-meter and 3200-meter track races and five-kilometer cross-country race. Most recently, she broke her own 5K record at the Nike Cross Regionals (NXR) Southeast with a time of 17:50; her previous record time was 18:02, which she set in October.
On Nov. 22, Wenthe and 14 of her teammates raced in the NXR Southeast, a qualifier for the Nike Cross Nationals. The 15 runners volunteered to attend the meet, which took place after the season ended. Wenthe was the only Hopper who raced in the 5K women’s championship, where she placed sixteenth overall. The top two teams and top five finishers not on a qualifying team from that race will compete at Nationals on Dec. 6. While Wenthe placed highly among the 246 runners, her time alone was not enough to qualify. The rest of GDS’ runners competed in the Girls Open Invitational Section 2 race, the Boys Open Invitational Section 3 race—where GDS upperclassmen ran—or the Boys Rising Stars race, where GDS underclassmen ran.
Wenthe also won NXR Southeast third team honors. NXR Southeast women’s championship first team, second team and third team honors are awarded to the fastest 21 runners in the race.
Coming into this season, Wenthe said she “really just wanted to be competitive.” Last season, Wenthe made history by breaking the school 5K record. This season, she broke her own 5K record twice.
“I know she worked really hard for it,” sophomore runner Heath Holley said of Wenthe’s record. “It reflects the team as a whole.”
Head coach Anthony Belber explained that he had been preparing Wenthe and many of the NXR-bound runners for this race since the beginning of the season, making sure they were in peak shape at the time of the meet. “It was very satisfying to recognize that all that planning and pacing of her training had paid off and she really was at her best,” Belber said.
Wenthe stressed the importance of not only preparing for the meet but also staying focused during the race. “Of course I come into these meets with a time goal, but in the race I’m more focused on what’s in front of me,” she said. “If I see a girl in front of me, I’ll try and work around her.”
Looking ahead, Belber said he is sure Wenthe will continue to have an impact, both on and off the course. “She’s mature, confident and most of all, prioritizes the needs of her team over her own needs,” Belber said. Wenthe has already been chosen by her teammates and coaches as a captain for next year’s cross country season, which will be Wenthe’s last at GDS.
Belber also said Wenthe’s participation in the NXR Southeast championships will help her as both a runner and a leader. “Being in a top level meet like this makes her more confident, more poised and better prepared to handle the next challenge that comes her way,” he said.