Our 6 Senior Aiken XC scholar-athletes will be taking their final steps on the cross country course soon. Their contributions have been plenty, and their legacy is significant. They have spanned the dawning of a program, endured a pandemic, and achieved championship status. Their final steps on the course have always been to prepare them for their next steps to college, career, and civic life success on whatever
course they choose. For our last 2 meets of their final season, we will enjoy having them lead our teams as a purple pack running courageously to the finish line.
The Senior Resume can be something to behold. Evidence of what you have done…and possibly of what you have not done becomes glaringly clear as the opportunities of high school transition to next steps to college, career, and civic life. Our Senior Aiken XC Scholar-Athletes have establish a healthy resume for themselves individually and collectively as a team.
Individually, our Seniors represent such tremendous stories of courage, perseverance, and leadership. Ankita Rai was our first middle school runner at the beginning lining up for races without teammates on the line but with supporters in the crowd and is our longest tenured XC runner in our short and illustrious history. Rojina Rai followed suite in middle school and then jumped a few grades in high school with some academic excellence fast forwarding her eligibility. Similarly fast forwarded, Syriene Djakata’s phenomenal freshman year was followed by a hiatus to take care of her daughter, but amazing determination brought Syriene back to the pack. Penda Seck joined us her Sophomore year amid a pandemic and has done nothing but improve and assert herself at the front of our pack. Pawan Rai came on as a Freshman, took an understandable pandemic hiatus, but returned stronger than ever for his final seasons. Selvin Vasquez-Velasquez was courted since his freshman year to run and politely declined until his Junior year when he discovered an undiscovered talent of leadership and running his final two years.
Collectively our Aiken Seniors have been on XC teams who have contributed in part to 6 CMAC championships. Our Seniors have established a formidable foundation of excellence for others to build upon after they leave. Our Seniors have provided the leadership for our younger and newer teammates, so they can represent Aiken XC really the only way they know how and that is with exemplary Senior class!
