What if I told you that there was a hidden gem in our sports system? This athlete is an all-star at his sport but is so modest that you wouldn’t know it. This athlete is Sal Cordova, sophomore cross country runner. Sal deserves recognition because he is not only an amazing runner, but also a leader to Bishop Noll’s cross country team—a team that has suddenly re-emerged with a competitive edge under the guidance of Mr. Karl Repay, head coach, and now Sal Cordova as a pillar to the team.
As a sophomore, Sal has proven that he’s one of the better runners in his age group in the area. He continues to push himself every race and his improving times can’t be ignored by rivaling runners.
Consider this: a good sophomore runner usually runs in the 19 minute range. Sal’s best time is a 17:08. He just recently placed in the top-ten in sectionals.
As the unspoken leader of the team, he leads them in practice and prayer before every meet.
“I guess I would have to say that my role would be to lead the team by getting up their energy in the race and keeping our score low,” Sal said.
Sal is always determined to run better than everyone he runs against. He doesn’t care if it’s a senior or freshman. He also never gives up. A prime example was at the North Newton Invitational, when the leaders of the race (including Sal) accidently went the wrong way on the course. Although he could have kept going, he made the decision to turn around and rerun the path he missed. He headed back to the pack and ran his heart out to place 5th in the meet. He still ran an impressive time of 18:41.
With the return of a girls’ team this year and impressive times by the boys, Sal is also very optimistic about the team’s future.
“We are only going to get better,” Sal said. “The only way to run faster is by running faster, and we are going to do that.”
Possibly, one of the secret weapons to Sal’s success is his dad. Sal’s dad comes to every meet and cheers him, as well as the team, on every step of the way. And even as Sal crosses the finish line, he congratulates his opponents, his other teammates and proves that he is a prime example of the character, leadership and sportsmanship that it takes to be a Bishop Noll Warrior.