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Girls' Athlete of the Week: Petaluma cross country athlete Isabel Andrade Andrade expected to finish among the top 10 at state By ERIC BRANCH THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Published: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 Two years ago, Petaluma cross country coach Jim Lynch could see freshman Isabel Andrade had talent. Unfortunately, Andrade had no idea how to make the most of that ability. “At first it was hard for her to grasp the seriousness of how we approach things at Petaluma,” Lynch said. “I don’t think she had been in a sports environment where there was a standard of excellence.” Two years later, Andrade has a grasp on how things work at Petaluma. As a result, she just might be raising the lofty standards of the perennially powerful Trojans. Andrade, a junior, won the North Coast Section Div. III title last week in Hayward, finishing the three-mile course in 17 minutes, 47 seconds. She is expected to finish among the top 10 at the state championships Saturday in Fresno. She’s come a long way in two years. Lynch, for example, now raves about her stunning work ethic and her ferocity on the course. And Andrade looks back at her freshman year and smiles. “At practice, I really didn’t put forth much effort,” she said. “I just wanted to get done with the workouts. Now I can see the importance of them. I give them everything I have. Sometimes I can even push myself too much.” Despite her talent, Andrade had flown under the radar in cross country before this season. Last year, she began the season with promise before a chipped bone in her ankle finished her season. In the spring, however, she returned for the track season and qualified for the finals in the 1,600 meters at the Meet of Champions, a defining moment in her career. “I had nothing left in me when I was done,” she said. “It’s a great feeling to push yourself to the max and realize, ‘Oh my gosh, I have nothing left.’”
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