Athlete: Caroline Alcorta
Year: Senior
School: Shoes & Gear
Location: Springfield, VA
Mile PR: 4:49.71
2-mile PR: 10:19.68
Caroline Alcorta of Virginia, who as a freshman in 2011 cried in fear before her first race at the New York Armory, will return to the facility on Feb. 15 with a little more confidence for the Millrose Games high school girls invitational mile. After winning the Virginia Tech Invitational mile last Saturday in a nation-leading 4:49.71, Alcorta, a West Springfield senior who placed third at Foot Locker cross country nationals in December, will face a tight Millrose field with no reluctance to go from the gun.
Relay Action: Alcorta began her weekend competition in Blacksburg with an anchor 2:11 on the victorious West Springfield 4 x 800m relay. The Spartan quartet, which clocked 9:27:54, will be running the same event this Saturday in New York in the high school division of the Armory’s Collegiate Invitational. Alcorta will be able to get re-acquainted with the Armory track a week before the big race.
Fast Mile: Alcorta, 17, thought she might have a 4:50 in her at Virginia Tech. But she knew she’d have to do it alone. No problem, because Alcorta is not shy about ripping off a fast pace. “When the gun goes off,” she said, “I have a tendency to book it too early.” She tried to measure her effort, hitting the 800 in 2:21. With no one with her, Alcorta triumphed by 12 seconds.
Final Prep: Alcorta has her regional meet next Wednesday. She expects to run the 3200m and will use it as a final tune-up for Millrose. Other than that, Alcorta may work in a few fast 800s in practice to get into mile rhythm.
True Racing: Alcorta, who will do her college running at the University of North Carolina, disdains sit-and-kick running as inauthentic. “I don’t call it ‘racing’ because all you do is sit,” she said. “I’d rather out-run someone than out-kick them.”
Pace Setting: Alcorta’s racing style is also based on her attributes. She’s strong but not that fast. “My kick is not awful, but it’s not the greatest,” she said. In the Yale Invitational 3000m in New Haven on Jan. 18, Alcorta led from the gun until Claire Howlettof Connecticut surged ahead on the last lap for the victory in 9:43.37. Alcorta placed second in 9:45.59.
Winter Training: Virginia has not been immune to the stormy winter, and Alcorta has been forced onto the treadmill. On a couple of days when portions of the school track were bare of snow, she could get in some limited sprint work.
Best Workout: Alcorta took advantage of a rare pleasant day in recent weeks to do a set of 6 x 600m with a 100m jog and 100m walk in between. Her times were 1:54, 1:52, 1:50, 1:48, 1:47 and 1:46 (about 4:40 mile pace). She keeps her mileage modest, at a peak of 45 a week.
Junior Year: Last winter Alcorta won the state indoor 3200m and looked to add to her state titles in the spring. But while leading the state outdoor 3200, Alcorta collapsed in exhaustion on the home straight, fell to the track and could not finish. She withdrew from the 1600m but did run on the West Springfield state championship 4 x 800m relay. Alcorta rebounded two weeks later to place fifth in the national 2-mile in Greensboro, N.C., while also anchoring the Spartans distance medley to victory with a 4:50 1600m split.
Fall Success: Alcorta raced to an undefeated cross country season leading to her third place at Foot Locker nationals in San Diego. She set several course records, winning her Virginia state 3A race in 17:13 for 5K and then the Foot Locker South Regional in Charlotte, N.C., in 16:55 for 5K. At nationals, Alcorta hoped to earn at least a top-15 all-American position after just missing the year before in 16th place. She went out hard and was “more than happy” with third while clocking 17:31 on the tough Balboa Park 5K course.
First Strides: As a youngster, Alcorta’s running parents would take her to 5K road races and she would walk them. As a West Springfield freshman, Alcorta played field hockey in the fall and tried indoor track to get in shape for lacrosse in the spring. She fell in love with running, passed on lacrosse and ran track all year, thrilling to join older teammates in 4 x 800m relays.
Early Nerves: Newer runners are known for giving up their lunches after competition. Alcorta was so nervous she would do that before Running Shoes - Gear.
Crying Spell: Her anxiety got so bad, moments before the freshman mile at the 2011 indoor nationals, Alcorta burst into tears. Her close friend on the team, Maddie Wittich, then a sophomore, came to her aid. Maddie told her, “It’s going to be okay. Eight laps and you’re done.” Alcorta ran 5:16 for a mid-pack finish and afterwards, redeemed, told herself, “Wow, that felt great. It went by so quickly.”
Complete Runner: West Springfield coach Chris Pellegrini, who’s brought Alcorta along slowly, said she is now putting everything together as a relentless competitor brimming with confidence. “Caroline is starting to believe in some of the lofty goals we’ve talked about,” he said.
Marc Bloom’s high school cross-country rankings have played an influential role in the sport for more than 20 years and led to the creation of many major events, including Nike Cross Nationals and the Great American Cross Country Festival. He published his cross-country journal, Harrier, for more than two decades.
