Staff Writer
Elise
Rodrigues
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| Elise Rodrigues |
Sport: Cross Country,
Indoor/Outdoor Track
Schedule: Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP
Statistics, AP Biology
GPA: 4.6
Best
Athletic Moment:
XC Conference Race junior year, running a 21:39 5k on the hilly WakeMed Course.
Favorite
Athlete:
Lindsey Forte. Rodrigues explains how Forte mentored her as a big sister in
track and field. “She is one of the smartest people I know, and the reason I
stuck with running.”
Inspiration: Her grandfather. Rodrigues
hopes to follow his example of perseverance, saying “He moved to America with
nothing, and faced many setbacks; he finally achieved his dream of owning his
own veterinary practice in Hawaii and seeing his children off to University.”
Clubs: President of HOSA, Vice
President of BOOST, member of the National Honor Society.
Hobbies: Rodrigues is not only a
runner, but an active soccer player. She plays for CASL three times a week,
balancing it with school athletics. She also loves music and painting, and uses
her skills to work as an instructor at Camp Musart.
Favorite
food:
“Sushi!”
Favorite
class: AP
Psychology. “What we learn is applicable in many aspects of life. Coach Brown
is awesome at teaching, and makes the subject really interesting.”
Future hopes: Attend Johns Hopkins
University on a pre-med track, attend medical school and eventually become a
primary care doctor or pediatrician.
 |
| Nathan Marquard |
Nathan
Marquard
Sport: Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track
Schedule: Calc AB, AP Chemistry, AP Psychology, Honors English
GPA: 4.3
Best
Athletic Moment: Breaking five minutes in the mile,
helping Apex boys dominate the 2013 Wilmington Invitational.
Favorite
athletes: Steve Prefontaine, who created the
culture of running. Marquard tries to live by Prefontaine’s hardcore example
of: “The best pace is a suicide pace, and today is a great day to die.”
Inspiration:
Coach Cooper. Marquard describes
how, “He teaches all runners not only how to run, but how to live and be a
better person. Even though he’s intimidating, you come out of Cross Country a
lot better of a person than you were coming into it.”
Clubs:
Co-founder of Music Appreciation
Club, and is a member of the Environmental Club as well as National Honor
Society.
Hobbies:
Running, eating pasta, working at
Papa Murphy’s, throwing toga parties, playing Frisbee, freestyle rapping, and
trivia.
Favorite
food: Pizza.
Favorite
class: AP Biology. “I’ve always been
interested in biology, and the way Mr. Derda teaches makes it easy to
understand and kind of fun.”
Future
hopes: Attend N.C. State for environmental
engineering, travel, hike the Appalachian Trail, and help preserve the
environment.
