Ajani Romero '26 Recruiting Profile

My name means “He Who Wins the Struggle.” And in the same way silver is purified in the fire, my struggles have made me into a better student, athlete, and person.

I’ve always been competitive, it's a big factor that drives me. My first time on the track in 5th grade was love at first sight. My parents soon signed me up with a track club. Seeing all the boys around me at meets ignited my passion to be the best. I, like many around me, dreamt of one day running on the Olympic track. This fuels my passion for the sport: a chance to be the greatest, to be excellent at something. College sports is the avenue to get there.

Those first years were formative for me; they taught me many lessons not only about the sport itself, but about character. During those years, I learned to lose with humility. I learned the truth about hard work if you want to be the best. I ran at the USATF Regional Junior Olympic Championships in 2019 and Nationals in 2022. Experiences like those prepared me to deal with lots of pressure, teaching me humble confidence in my own abilities. I hope to bring character to collegiate sports. As an athlete, I will be coachable, confident, dedicated and passionate.

However it was at that time that I also experienced an important trial: the COVID-19 Pandemic. I battled with loneliness. As an 8th grader, I faced another difficulty: a serious adductor injury. After it became chronic it would take me a full two years to recover completely. As I went into my freshman year what I faced was not just repercussions from an injury or the pandemic. What I faced was a loss of purpose. What gives me meaning if I don’t have a solid foundation to draw on? Essentially, when all the impermanent things disappear, what is left?

And it was in this dark place that God showed me the reason behind my life. He revealed that the only thing worth living for was Jesus, a real person, who cared and died for me, so that I could see the real thing that gives me meaning: being fulfilled in Him.

So after I was baptized my freshman year, I came back to track, but with a different mindset: Not just to be excellent, but excellent with the eternal purpose of winning over others to God.

I have big dreams. I have taken rigorous and demanding coursework which has prepared me to be a student in Aerospace Engineering. I play three instruments and hope to minor in music. I can compete in six different events, including Javelin, making me a versatile addition to college teams. I train three times a week even now in the offseason. I want to take that dedication to the next level. My hard work earned me the title in 10th grade of captain of my track team. Thus, I hope to bring leadership skills into a college team. I won my league in the Long Jump and 4x100 in 9th/10th grade, the 100 and 200 in 10th, and have qualified for CIF both years. I won the 100, 200 and Long Jump in the San Gabriel Valley Championships in 9th/10th grade. I hope to taste victory at the highest level.

On top of all this, I also started a bi-weekly Bible club on-campus, and I lead one off-campus. I also serve by studying the Bible with local teens weekly. I sacrifice time for others and God. Why?

I am who I am today because of God. So at whatever track program I hope to run at, I intend to bring not only hard work and dedication, but a sincere heart. Through this first part of my life, I have overcome the struggle, I have crossed the line. But I’m not done running…