Maria Mendez '25 Recruiting Profile

My name is Maria del Carmen Mendez Guzman preferably I go by Maria Mendez. Not only do I do Cross Country but I am involved in other activities like managing basketball, track, and cheer. Doing many sports may be tiring sometimes but to me, it's worth it. Not all my life revolves around sports I also take school seriously. I'm a hard worker inside and outside the classroom on and off the course I'm not one to sit back and let others just go and do something for me knowing I am fully capable of doing it myself. My goal is to become the best I can be. When I’m motivated to do something I will do it and finish it.Talent only takes me so far but hard work will take me farther. I'm also a cheerleader meaning I look for the positive instead of the negative. When someone says they are unable to do something I tell them that with time they will be able to reach their goal. I enjoy encouraging my teammates on and off the course. I enjoy running, but at the moment when I'm running, I ask myself why I put myself through it. Why I'm doing this and the answer is simple to make myself better I love seeing the progress from day one to whatever day I'm currently at. I love that during Cross Country we see each other as family and the atmosphere is like it too. Each time a coach yells at me saying to go pass the person in front of me I just put a target on their back and do my best to pass them. I haven't quite reached my full potential and as I am right now I believe I’m on the right path. I love when coaches push me to test my limits because when I feel tired I keep going reminding myself that when I'm tired I have only given 10% of my effort and that there is more to it. In my now 4th year of running, I have only had two coaches that have made me push myself to get better. It's like I am seeking their approval to show them that I'm capable of doing so much more. If I had one word for Sidney Cross Country it would be family because the coaches push us to our limits and during the whole process they even extend our limits. When looking for a team to get recruited by I know the one I will end up choosing will also feel like a family.