Even before Maria Baltazar '19 arrived at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, it was well know she was a soccer player.
No one, however, knew that Maria was also a force on the track – not even Maria.
In her first season on winter track, Maria excelled, to the point where she was named the team's Coaches Award winner.
"Maria was a natural talent who, even as a freshman, led by example this year," Coach Sean McGrath '07 said. "Maria was one of our strongest performers in the meets. She often ran against much more experienced girls in the 50 (meters) and 300 and never shied away from competition.
"But I think most impressive was her attitude each day in training. She was part of a core group of runners who bought into the team philosophy of "get better every day" and "don't waste time." She is a promising athlete for WMA to have in the years to come."
After an impressive first year on Varsity Girls' Soccer, Maria was equally impressive on the track. She even surprised herself.
"This was my first time with any form of track," said Maria, who hopes her sprint workouts will help her with her speed on the soccer field. "I thought it was a good experience. It was my first time and I was going against older girls from all over New England. Going to The Armory in New York City and racing against people from everywhere, I think I did pretty well.
"I'm really honored to receive the Coaches Award from Coach McGrath and I'm looking forward to next year."