Rojas has set a good example for her younger teammates as the lone female senior this season. Photo courtesy of head coach Charlie Gonzalez

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Cordova Lancers senior and cross-country standout Lesly Rojas has run her way into the record books this fall. 

This past September at the Woodbridge Invitational in Southern California, Rojas broke the school record for the girls’ varsity three-mile run set in 2010 by Alla Nazarenjo with a time of 19:40. Rojas shattered that mark, setting a new record of 18:57, in only her second year participating in cross country.

Rojas is the lone female senior on the team and has made quite the impact on her teammates and coaches alike. 

"She's meant a lot," Lancers head coach Charlie Gonzalez said. "She's our only female senior. This is only her second year in cross country. All the girls look up to her. The other girls see how much Lesly (Rojas) has improved from last year and she put in a lot of work during the summer. Now all the other girls see that if they put in the work just like she did, they can see improvement from year to year." 

Rojas also finished the season as the Metro League champion in the girls’ three-mile run when she registered an impressive 19:34 mark on Oct. 29 at the Metro League Championship meet at Cordova High School.

Then she participated in the Sac Joaquin Section Subectional meet on Nov. 8 at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in Angels Camp. Rojas finished the race with a time of 21:09 that unfortunately did not allow her to qualify for the Section championship meet on Nov. 15. 

Nonetheless, Rojas’ stellar season has garnered attention from colleges, according to Gonzalez, and she has set the bar for her younger teammates.