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03/02/2016 11:00 PMJacqui Guerra says she was rambunctious as a youngster and now she’s using that energy to pave her path as one of the more diverse distance runners in the SCC.
Jacqui did cross country during her middle school years under the guidance of Jon Rivera, who’s now the head coach of Guilford indoor track. In her recent junior campaign, Jacqui ran the gamut while competing anywhere from the 600 to the 3,200 and made her mark in the postseason by finishing second in the 3,200 and then third for the 1,000 at the SCC East Sectional Championship with a personal-best time of 3:09.26. After that, Jacqui placed fourth in the 1,000 at the Class L state meet and also took fourth for the 3,200 at the SCC Championship.
“Unlike other sports, in running you can see how much you are growing simply through your times. To see how hard you work, it’s rewarding. Running is a joy for me with all the training. It’s a stress reliever,” says Jacqui, who also plays soccer for Guilford. “With soccer, I’m used to running short bursts in distance, plus [indoor track assistant coach] Jim Ford has really helped me with training for endurance.”
Coach Rivera describes Jacqui as a top-notch leader who’s always striving to reach her potential and he feels that her best performances have yet to come.
“Jacqui is one of our top runners. She works really hard. She plays soccer and then does the two track seasons. She is very committed to the sport. She has strong leadership qualities, which will make her a strong captain someday. She is super competitive and is always looking to improve,” says Rivera. “She is still figuring out the pacing of her races, but once she gets it, she will be a force and a top runner in the conference. I look forward to what lies ahead. Having coached Jacqui when she was a 7th-grade cross country runner, it is really great to see the progression.”
Jacqui gets revved up before she competes at the big postseason meets, but gets a certain sense of tranquility from those in the opposing lanes, who help put her mind in the right place.
“I’m really working on my pacing because I have a tendency to go out too fast to start and I know it’s a longer deal than that with running,” Jacqui says. “I’ve always worked on my mentality in terms of trying to calm my nerves. Yet the girls you meet before a race are really very kind in wishing you good luck. It makes you feel like we are all in it to do something special together, which helps to calm me.”
Whether it’s the indoor or outdoor track season, Jacqui says that she particularly loves the mid-distance events. They aren’t too taxing, but are just long enough to get Jacqui’s competitive fire burning.
“For indoor, I love the 600 because it’s just like the perfect distance and a real adrenaline rush for me,” she says. “The outdoor equivalent to the 600 I feel is the 800 as it also has a really good distance and I rely heavily on a kick at the end of those races.”
Looking to her future, Jacqui is aspiring for some big goals at Guilford. For one, she wants to continue improving as a runner. Something else Jacqui wants to see is for the Indians to grow their numbers.
“I want to see us build up our team because we were small this year, especially for the distance team. I also want to possibly run in college,” says Jacqui, who thanks her father Joseph, Coach Rivera and Coach Ford, along with Guilford girls’ soccer Head Coach Scott McMahon and assistant Fred Franzoni. “This winter season has made me look forward. I want to be faster in the 800 and 1,600 and, hopefully, run the 1,600 in under five minutes.”