ROCKINGHAM — Represented by a four-year runner, the Richmond Senior High School cross country program makes its first appearance on The Richmond Observer’s weekly feature series of the 2024-25 school year.
Mariana Mendez, a senior captain for the Lady Raiders, has been named the Official Richmond County Female Student-Athlete of the Week presented by Rockingham NC Self Storage.
Richmond ran in the first of its two home meets last Tuesday at Hinson Lake. Mendez paced the girls’ race and crossed the finish line in first place.
With her selection this week, Mendez notched her fourth career recognition, all coming as a member of the cross country team.
Athletic Profile: Mariana Mendez
Year: Senior
Fall sport: Cross Country
Position: No. 1 Runner
Varsity Experience: 4 seasons
Other Sports: Track and Field
“CLASSROOM CREDITS” WITH MARIANA MENDEZ
A student at Richmond Early College, Mendez is in full swing of her final year of high school. One benefit she said of attending REaCH is that she will graduate with an associate’s degree next spring.
This fall, Mendez is taking a tough schedule of courses loaded with math and science. She’s enrolled in Biology 111, Chemistry 251, Math 171 and Senior Seminar.
Boasting a 4.63 weighted grade point average, Mendez hopes to attend a top university and pursue a career in medicine. She said she’s working hard in the classroom to hopefully earn an academic scholarship.
“RUNNING WITH SUCCESS” WITH MARIANA MENDEZ
Richmond’s boys’ and girls’ cross country teams hosted Hoke County and Southern Lee high schools for the second of seven regular Sandhills Athletic Conference meets.
Both 2.3-mile races (boys and girls) were held simultaneously at Hinson Lake. Mendez finished first overall in the girls’ race, crossing the finish line in 23:06. That was eight seconds faster than the second-place finisher.
While her time was slower than her first race time, Mendez said a tougher course at Hinson Lake contributed to the increase. She also said she felt she was too comfortable and could have done better.
Note: Official team scores were not available from last week’s SAC meet at the time of publication.
“RAPID RESPONSE VIDEO” WITH MARIANA MENDEZ
The Richmond Observer will publish its Official Richmond County Male Student-Athlete of the Week soon.
