Senior Athlete Spotlight: Natalia Reyes

Natalia Reyes first joined the Varsity Track & Field team during her sophomore year as a way to stay in shape for the following soccer season. However, Reyes quickly realized that she actually had found a love for running, even more so than playing soccer. Reyes jumped at the chance to also join the Varsity Cross Country team the following fall and has become a leader on each team ever since. Varsity Cross Country and Track & Field Head Coach Tammy King believes Reyes has fit seamlessly into these teams due to how she carries herself and comes prepared. “Fun, high-spirited, and a hard-working individual,” Coach King describes of Reyes.

 

Reyes is committed to a strict training regimen both in and out of season as she works on continually improving. During the season, a week consists of five practices of varying distanced runs, and outside of the season she goes on long runs despite her involvement in other sports, and trains with coaches on campus, at Tropical Park or on Key Biscayne. “With the campus, equipment, and coaches, Palmer Trinity has helped me accomplish everything I have wanted and more athletically,” Reyes reflects on the past two years. She also believes that Coach King’s belief in her and ability to push her has led her to become the best version of herself. “While I am only one of many athletes that she trains, she gives me 100% every practice which has had a great impact.”

 

Reyes is quick to remember the 2024 Varsity Girls Track & Field team as she thinks about her favorite memories as a Falcon, insisting that finishing as the FHSAA State Runner-Up is a moment she will never forget. However, she believes that ultimately her favorite memories are just being around her teammates. “The girls and guys I run with became my family,” Reyes states.

 

Off the track, Reyes is active in the community through volunteer work. She works with the Special Olympics and raises money to build schools and buy school supplies for those in Haiti. She considers her favorite food to be sushi, favorite movie is Hunger Games, and favorite artist is Mora. This fall, she is excited to submit college applications to study Sports Nutrition. Reyes currently lists Clemson and FSU as her favorite schools.

 

Be sure to come out and support Natalia and the rest of the Varsity Cross Country team as they look to defend their 2023 District Championship. The Falcons will host the Palmer Trinity Invitational on September 28^th and the District Championship on October 29^th.

Go Falcons!