Olivia Zambrio, a senior at Scotch-Plains Fanwood high school, is an elite athlete, as she is being recruited by Division I colleges and was the cross country captain this fall. She is committed to running at the University of Pittsburgh. Learn more about this accomplished senior below!
 
Q: How do you feel about this being your last year of track and cross country?
A: I’m really upset about it, I’m going to miss my coaches who have been so supportive of me and have really helped and pushed me to do as well as I have. I’m also going to really miss the team. It’s such a fun and encouraging atmosphere and I couldn’t imagine the sport without it. My teammates have seen me at my best times and my worst and I can’t imagine running next year without them. 
 
Q: What impact does running have on you? 
A: It has played a huge role in who I am today, it has really helped me come out of my quiet shell and made me more confident and more of a leader. Because of running I’ve become more determined and hardworking not just in running, but in life outside of this sport. Also, most of my closest friends have come from this sport. 
 
Q: What do you love about running? What do you not love about it?
I love the feeling of finishing a hard workout or a fast road loop. I love the feeling of running a fast pace and then looking at my time afterward and seeing my time. And I love seeing all my teammates run their personal bests and feeling good while running. I do hate the pain and frustration that comes with running. I also struggle with the disappointment of not running the race I wanted to run and blaming myself for not pushing as hard as I could’ve. I think that the support from my team plays a huge role in helping me run my best race, hearing them cheer for me from the sidelines helps me get that extra motivation that I need to pick my pace up.