Standing Out on the Track

Being self-motivated, and motivating teammates, are key characteristics of a team captain.
Noah Pruszinski, a junior, and Ava Troiano, a sophomore, are captains of the Wildwood High School Cross Country Program, and have those attributes and others as they lead the way on the course for the Warriors.
“Noah is the type of leader who brings people together,’’ said Head Coach Kelly Belasco. “His humor connects the team, both boys and girls, and he is always doing the right things. He is an incredibly hard worker, working two jobs in the summer and still makes time to be a big part of the team.”
“Ava strives for improvement and wants others to push themselves as well,” she added. “Her determination and focus can be misinterpreted by those who don’t know her well, but she is the type of person who is there to help and encourage her team in any way that she can. Both students are enrolled in our honors program.’’
Troiano began running cross country in sixth grade, and mentioned Belasco as being a positive influence in her cross country career.
“I really like the conditioning part of cross country and how it gets me in shape for basketball season,’’ said Troiano. “I’m a competitive person, so I always want to push myself to do better and reach my goals. I would like to get faster so that I can place well in a few races, especially our race at the county park.”
“This season I am hoping to improve every race and set a PR (personal record). I would like to see our team get a win and just finish out the season strong,” she added.
Pruszinski began running as a 10-year-old at Crest Memorial School.
“Growing up, I always ran on the boardwalk with my grandfather, Mark Scholz,’’ said Pruszinski. “I would like to improve my work ethic and I would like to break my personal record this season. I would like our team to finish the season with a winning record.”
“My grandfather and my middle school coach, Anthony Sanmartino, have been major influences for my cross country career,” he added.
The Cape Atlantic League (CAL) Championships will be held Oct. 24.
“Liam Fitzsimons, junior, is another leader on the team,” said Belasco. “He consistently is our top runner and he is a quiet leader both on the course, and in practices. He helps other runners with their stretching and gives them tips on how to improve based on his own experiences.”
“Although our team is small, I am fortunate every year to have the best student-athletes on my team,” Belasco added. “My athletes are incredibly involved in every aspect of our school community. We have members of the band, theater, Eco Club, student council, choir and many more activities represented on our team.”