By Amber Wilson and Sydney Brown

You may have heard about her on the announcements: State Cross Country Champion, Conference Champion, Qualifier for Outdoor Track Nationals, breaker of school records. This is Sarah Mitchell, a senior here at Apex High School.

Sarah attributes her start in running to her older brother, who convinced her to play games with him when she was younger. Sarah explained that her brother taught her a lot about endurance and convinced her to join the track team in the seventh grade. Sarah moved from Grace Christian School to Apex High School during the summer between her sophomore and junior year, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is her first full year in the building at Laura Duncan Road, and her second year on the team at Apex. 

Sarah told us, “Everytime I run, I find out a bit about myself. Like my mental boundaries, pushing myself.” She runs on the cross country, indoor, and outdoor track teams, and loves Apex’s program! Sarah continues running because she wants to improve, and see how good she can get. Sarah told us that she tries not to listen to music while running so she doesn’t become reliant on it for meets; however, she listens to her favorite 2010s punk rock while preparing on meet days. 

On Signing Day, Sarah committed to George Washington University to continue her academic and running career beginning fall 2022. Sarah will be majoring in either Public Policy and Leadership or Political Science; she’s really interested in politics and political policy, and wants to make the world a better place. When Sarah has free time, she spends it with friends, helping out at her church, or volunteering! 

Sarah is an inspiration to us all, and we can not wait to see what she does next!