Natalie Varela (Freshman, Gulliver Prep)
Gulliver Prep's freshman, Natalie Varela, is south Florida's top performer of the week. Varela, who was just an eighth grader last year, came in fourth place at the 2A girls cross country state finals. That state final was the only race that she did not place top three. Out of the rest of her races, Varela won two meets and placed second in the other five. Varela continues to succeed on capturing top three finishes. She is definitely a runner to watch out for because her first cross country race, Varela won the First Maverick Stampede meet at Archbishop McCarthy High. There she had a winning time of 18:59.80 which is the only time under 19 for Florida's south region.
Even though Varela came in first, her team came in second behind St. Brendan high school. Which is still a pretty impressive finish because they're top 5 has runners range from seventh grade to tenth. This means Gulliver Prep won't be losing these talented ladies anytime soon so this team is just going to get better as time goes on. But for Varela, her success can help grow their team into something big since she has the wins and now time to prove it.