Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Ava Aguiar ’23 ran like one of the best runners in New England all regular season.

At the biggest meet of the season, Ava showed the regular season was not a fluke.

Ava placed fourth among 131 runners in a time of 20 minutes, 45 seconds on a tough 5K course at the New England Prep School Track Association Division III Championships, which was held at Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, Mass., on Nov. 13.

Quotes

Ava regarding the race: “I wanted to get a good spot at the start so I sprinted out with the lead girls and tried to keep on them as much as I could. It was a pretty flat course so that was easy, and the hills came at the end. It turned into a hilly course but it was OK.”

Ava on placing fourth: “I’m pretty proud of my performance. It was stressful not knowing what to expect. It was a little scary having all those runners and coaches around, but it was fun and everyone on the team had a good time so that made it a good race. I’m really proud of the team. They all put in their best effort and it was a good race for everyone.”

Ava on what she learned: “I learned it’s always important to push back the pain, and when you don’t think you have anything left you have something left.”

Coach Bill Rosenbeck on Ava’s performances at the Division III meet: “Saturday was a tough course, and as always, Ava brought it. She always has a strategy to keep pace with the top runners. She spent a good portion of the race in the lead. She performed very well. It had rained the night before so it was wet and muddy; a couple times she went right through the puddles with no fear. She did everything to prove she was one of the top runners in New England, and she was that day as she has been all season long. We couldn’t be more proud of her and she should be proud of herself as well.”