O-R Athlete of the Week: Angela Zeng, South Fayette
Name: Angela Zeng
Grade: Sophomore
School: South Fayette
Sport: Cross country
Zeng’s week: When Zeng crossed the finish line to win the WPIAL Class 3A girls cross country meet last Wednesday at White Oak Park she felt like she still had some more left in the tank.
That might be tough news for her future competitors to hear, because she won by 32 seconds, stopping the clock at 17:43.70.
It was her first cross country title after finishing fourth last year as a freshman.
“Winning it was a really good confidence booster and it helped me reframe my expectations for the rest of the season,” Zeng said.
Zeng had won the TSTCA meet at White Oak Park the week prior to the WPIAL meet, so she felt good going in, but didn’t know how the race would play out.
She didn’t go into it with a strategic race plan, but more of a figure-it-out-on-the-go mentality.
“I made my move before the mile mark, so a little past 800 (feet) and after the mile mark I could feel that I had a bit of a lead,” Zeng said. “It was probably at the start of the second loop where I had the thought that I could do it and to just hang on.”
Always running: Zeng runs six days a week and has done so for a long time. She enjoys the battle against the stopwatch and the very clear-cut nature of the results.
“It’s really about yourself at the end of the day,” Zeng said. “If you put in the work or you don’t, you’re the only one who really knows that. To see progress over time is really cool. Running is so freeing. It’s something you can do with others and bond or something you can do by yourself. I played soccer for eight years and I love soccer, but a lot of time it was up to the team that dictated results. In running you have control of your race and what you do. That sense of autonomy is really cool.”
Preparing for states: Zeng finished 28th at states last year in her first try, but has a better feel for the course at Hersheypark and the hills that make it a very unique and difficult task.
She’s been training on her home course at South Fayette and doing hill work in preparation for the state championships, which are Saturday.
“The Hershey course is known for the Aloha Hills, so the winning times are usually a lot slower compared to the times the top girls in the state are running,” Zeng said. “This year I’m hoping to improve a lot and try and get a top-10 finish. Hopefully my experience last year on the hills will help me do better on them this year.”
Future doctor?: Zeng still has two more years of high school to go, but she’s already looking toward the future and that includes designs on joining the medical field one day. Her goal is to study pre-med in college and go to medical school.
“I just enjoy learning about the body and with running there’s plenty of science and physiology behind it,” Zeng said. “It’s all really interesting to me and you get to help people. I enjoy helping people and science. It’s a unique blend.”
Compiled by Jerin Steele