Senior Jax Alvarez has led the Ankeny Centennial boys’ cross country team to a No. 14 ranking in Class 4A from the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. He is ranked seventh as an individual.
Alvarez earned a top-10 finish in the prestigious Gans Creek Classic on Friday at Columbia, Mo. He placed seventh in a field of 316 runners with a time of 15 minutes 12 seconds, which set a school record.
Alvarez helped the Jaguars to a third-place trophy in last year’s state meet for the program’s highest finish ever. He placed 28th in Class 4A with a time of 16:02.
Here is some inside info on Alvarez:
Congratulations on earning a top-10 individual ranking in Class 4A. Is that where you expected to be this season?
Thank you very much. I would say yes. I’ve always bet on myself. I don’t think I was ranked inside the top 10 for preseason rankings, but I soon found myself up there pretty high. A lot of really good guys graduated this last year so naturally some guys are going to step into those places.
Following the graduation of Cohen Moll last spring, did you want to become a leader for this team? And if so, how have you done that?
If I’m honest, when I first transferred to Centennial I immediately stepped into a leadership role. It was mostly just as a “lead by example” kind of thing. This year has been mostly the same deal. This summer I was gone a lot with some out of state races and camps. A lot of the new guys didn’t really know me so I’ve put more effort into being vocal. You have to build a personal relationship with the guys in order to have them keep coming out for the sport and actually care about it.
You had some great races in the first four meets of the season, winning the 11/12 race at the Jaguar Invitational on Aug. 25 and placing fifth in a loaded field at the Bobcat Invitational on Sept. 10. Do you think those races showed that you can be a top-10 contender at the state meet next month?
Thank you, I appreciate it a lot. I think those races do show that I am a top-10 kind of guy. If they don’t, that’s fine. The rankings that matter are the ones that come out Oct. 31.
You’ve also had to deal with some extreme conditions that resulted in you not finishing a couple of races at Ames on Sept. 3 and at Pella on Sept. 19. I know both were bad, but was the heat or the muddy conditions harder to deal with?
The heat wasn’t an issue. It wasn’t worth risking anything early in the season. Neither of those conditions are my least favorite. But I did invest in some new spikes after the Heartland race!
How did you feel about your race on Friday in Missouri?
I’m happy about it. I threw my hat in the ring. The time and placement were awesome, but what really mattered to me was how I went about racing–start to finish. “The Man in the Arena” mindset.
What were the conditions like down there?
The conditions were great. It’s one of the best courses I’ve been on. It rained a little bit during the girls’ race (where Centennial placed sixth) before me, but there were no slippery or loose footed areas whatsoever.
I know you were running against another elite field. Was the pace of the race what you expected?
I really thought the race would go out faster. I know it was strung out pretty early with some of those guys separating before the 2k mark or so, but I thought there would be a bigger group for that chase pack. But with it being strung out early I think the ones who wanted it went for it, and the ones who were there for fun had their fun.
Goals for the rest of the season?
The goals are to compete at the highest level I can: high placement at state individually, top-five finish as a team, high placement at Nike Cross Country Regionals, and maybe punch a ticket to Nike Cross Country Nationals.
Assuming that you make it to the state meet, who do you think will be the runner to beat for the individual title?
Preston (Johnson of Marshalltown), Kuma (Gutema of Sioux City North), and Keegan (Decker of Iowa City Liberty) will definitely have themselves a dual. I think some other guys will throw themselves into the mix as well, myself included.
Are you planning to run in college, and if so, have you looked at any schools?
The plan is to run in college, yes. I’m looking at a couple awesome places in the Midwest area and a little outside of that.
What are you going to study?
I’m looking to study Psychology and also sports science/kinesiology.