LHS Grad Helps Savannah College Run to Conference Title

Montserrat De Santiago has been recognized for her cross country performance.

The La Grange High School graduate was named to the all-Sun Conference first team after finishing third in the women’s cross country championship 5K. The junior helped Savannah College of Art and Design win the title.

“I was very happy,” said De Santiago, who received All-America honors in cross country and track and field while competing previously for New Mexico Junior College. “Throughout the season we had been training to run our best at conference.”

She finished third among the Bees and 117th among 338 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championship 5K.

“I wasn’t sure how the competition would be,” she said. “I was real happy with the results.” Typically she positioned herself during races near the front of the field. “I like to stay up to get a feel of knowing I have a good start,” she said.

She realized what her pace should be after the first race, when she placed 50th among 262 finishers and second among the Bees. “When I first got back, I started off kind of fast,” she said. “I learned to conserve my energy a little more.”

She didn’t compete last fall because of the pandemic, which disrupted normal training. “This season was a little bit tougher,” she said. “I hadn’t been running with a larger group. I was figuring out what to do on my own, motivating myself to get out there.”

She averaged 40 to 50 miles per week during the summer to prepare for her return to the sport. “I could feel myself getting stronger,” she said.

She had to adjust to courses and conditions quite different from those in New Mexico. “There are more hills for sure. It’s more humid and more green,” she said. “New Mexico is pretty dry and windy.”

After this school year, De Santiago said she has two years of eligibility remaining in both cross country and track. She expects to be a middle distance runner for the track team.

Women’s volleyball

Outside hitter Ava Myers is on the all-Sooner Athletic Conference honorable mention team. Out of Round Top-Carmine High, the Southwestern Assemblies of God University sophomore played in all 35 matches and led the team with 50 service aces, which ranked second in the conference. She was second on the team and eighth in the conference with 2.95 kills per set.

Send updates about area athletes to Barbara Boxleitner at jdanddoc@gmail.com.