Gastonia cross country runner leads Gaston College into school's first national competition since athletic program restart

There was a point in Victoria Perez's life when she considered giving up the sport she loves.

A former cross country standout at Gastonia's Highland Tech, Perez was attending Gardner-Webb University as a commuting student. She was working full-time, and she was feeling the stress of being stretched too thin.

Ultimately, Perez realized that Gardner-Webb was not the right fit for her. She wanted to be closer to home and family, she wanted a less hectic schedule, and she wanted to make a fresh start academically.

That's when she decided to transfer to Gaston College, and it proved to be the move that brought cross country back into her life.

The rest is history, as they say.

Perez joined the Gaston College cross country program in the fall of 2021 when the school restarted athletics after a 50-year absence.

"It was nice to get a chance to do cross country again," said Perez, who will graduate from Gaston College in May 2023 with an associate degree in engineering. "With everything that goes on in today's world, we need something to inspire and motivate us."

An elite runner at Highland Tech who led the Rams to three straight appearances in the state 1A championships, Perez picked up where she left off. She has been making school history with every meet - and will help the school set history next week.

In an Oct. 8 competition at Columbia College in Columbia, S.C., Perez earned team medalist honors for the eighth time over two seasons, completing the 6K run with a time of 26:12.1, good enough for 40th overall.

Perez has been the cornerstone for a program that started as a club team in 2021 but has added enough depth to run in the team competition of meets.

Without question, Perez has enjoyed the growth of the program.

"It's nice to have a bigger team, and I have seen a lot of personal growth and a lot of growth on the team," she said. "You are not just focused on you anymore, but everybody else. You feel like you are actually competing, that you can take it seriously."

Perez understands her role as the team leader and veteran runner.

"I have always been a supportive person no matter what it is," Perez said. "We have a lot of people in their first year, and I try to push them as much as I push myself. We cheer each other on, especially at the finish line."

For Gaston College coach Kody Kubbs, who was hired as the program's second mentor earlier this year, Perez has been a stabilizing force.

"Victoria is the only one with high school experience, and she has been instrumental in helping to build this program," Kubbs said. "She understands cross country, and she has done a good job of communicating to the other runners. She has a work ethic that sets her apart. When you combine talent and hard work, that is the model for success."

For those reasons, Kubbs is eager to see what Perez and the rest of the team can do in the school's first national competition since the athletic program restarted.

Ineligible to participate last season as a first-year program, Gaston College will run in the National Junior College Athletics Association Region 10 championships in Spartanburg, S.C., on Oct. 29.

"I am real excited for the regional race," Perez said. "All the other runners will be on our level. I think we have a good chance of placing high."

Another plus is that the Region 10 championships will be staged at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, the site of the team's second meet, the Converse Kickoff, in September.

"We have seen the course and run on it, so we should be very confident," Kubbs said. "They are hungry. They are eager. I am looking forward to see what they can do."