Just two weeks ago, freshman Eli Peveto said he had a good chance of advancing to the State Cross Country meet and last Monday, those words proved to be true as he finished 13th in the 5K Regional Cross Country meet.

He finished the 2-mile race with a time of 19:21 and was the top freshman finisher in the competition. Peveto will compete at the State Meet in Round Rock this Saturday, Nov. 7.

This state qualifier, who runs an average of 46 miles per week, describes running as “fun and enjoyable” and has witnessed his times getting better and better as the season progresses. 

“The amount of running Eli does on his own and during practice sets him apart,” Head Cross Country Coach Dena Adkins said. “He will put in 6 plus miles a day. Eli ran with the team three days a week for speed training but puts in weeks of training on his own.”

Adkins said she would have been shocked if Peveto had not qualified for the State meet, since he has been training his heart out for so long.

“Of course I was happy and excited for him,” she said. “Eli has impressed me from the start. He has such a good work ethic, he pushes himself to be the best and by him doing that he pushes the others on the team to be their best as well.”

According to Peveto, he has a variety of things running through his mind during a race – anything from “keep going, don’t fall” to “oh, great – more mud!” Right before a race, he said he jogs for ten minutes and stretches right before he sets foot on the starting line.

After learning that he placed high enough to advance to State, Peveto said the first thought to cross his mind was, “All my hard work paid off.”