Cross Country is off to a strong start in their season as one of their star runners, junior Zion Ortiz, makes Burroughs history. Ortiz’s father, Germain Ortiz, was an outstanding runner in his college years. As a freshman in college, Germain ran his fastest 5k, coming in with a time of 14:43. At their Woodridge Invitational, Zion achieved the seemingly impossible: he tied with his father’s 5k record. 

Ortiz was in utter shock when he realized what he had accomplished. 

“I couldn’t sleep after my dad told me I tied his record,” Ortiz said. “It kept me up at night thinking about what I had achieved.”

Although he is clearly improving at running quickly, Ortiz has not always had a passion for Cross Country. Ortiz got pressured into joining the running community by his parents, who are both outstanding runners.

“At first I didn’t like it,” Ortiz said. “After my dad told me some inspirational stuff, I decided to try the sport out.”

Ortiz began his running journey in 2015, and soon after he realized just how much potential he has as an athlete. 

“I was inspired to take running a step further and join Cross Country because I saw a picture of my parents running in their room,” Ortiz states. “I asked my dad about the photo, after which he told me all about their past experiences with running.”

Because his parents are a big influence in his life, Ortiz decided to continue Cross Country in highschool. 

Ortiz has big aspirations for his future in running, as his dream is to get an athletic scholarship during his senior year. 

“My goal in high school Cross Country is to get a scholarship from a D1 school,” said Ortiz. “It’s not easy, but I’ve been taking the sport very seriously.”

Ortiz continues to prepare for the rest of his season by attending practices every day after school. We wish Ortiz the best of luck in representing the Burroughs Cross Country team and breaking records!