Stanford commit Caroline Wells pads resume at Eastbay XC Championships
WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. (BVM) – After a thrilling and dominant cross country season, Caroline Wells finished No. 10 in the Eastbay Cross Country Championships and solidified her bright future at Stanford.
A senior at Winter Springs High School, Wells has a report card that rises above the rest and has proven she is one of the top runners in the country. Her junior year was one for the books as she set individual state records in the 1,600 and 3,200-meters and was named Florida’s Gatorade Player of the Year. She was also instrumental to the Bears’ 2021 track and field success and helped the girls place first at the FHSAA 3A Track & Field State Championships in the 4×800 relay and second-place in the 4×400 relay.
Wells also notched a first-place win at the 2020 FHSAA 3A State Cross Country Championship, which she repeated her senior season. Along with a state win her senior year, Wells broke Florida’s state record in the 5,000-meter at the Hagerty Invitational on Sept. 25 with a time of 16 minutes and 40.2 seconds. She broke the previous record by 1.2 seconds and beat the second-place finisher at the invitational by over two minutes.
With unquestioned dominance and an undefeated season, expectations were high as Wells prepared to travel to the west coast for the ECCC.
“We really lowered my mileage the week before [the ECCC] and did minimal training,” Wells said. “We wanted to make sure I was fresh for the race and ready to go.”
And ready for the race she was. Out of 40 runners competing in the girls national finals, Wells finished in 10th place with a time of 17 minutes and 38.4 seconds, a mere 23.4 seconds behind first place. And though it wasn’t her fastest time, her top-10 finish sparked a drive to achieve this coming track season before her high school career comes to an end.
“I am pretty happy with it,” Wells said. “Those races always make you more hungry to compete and do better each time, so I am happy with it but want to do better next time. This track season is hopefully that opportunity and maybe even win a national title.”
An obvious natural phenom in her sport, there is no surprise Wells was a sought-after athlete throughout the recruiting process.
“I started hearing from colleges the summer going into my junior year,” Wells said. “It stayed pretty busy throughout the process until I committed. My final five schools were Stanford, Arkansas, UVA, Colorado and Oregon, but I only went on visits to three of them.”
With official visits to Stanford, UVA and Arkansas it was the Golden State that captured her interest before she stepped foot on campus.
“My heart was always set on Stanford,” Wells said. “Coach Clark is the best coach and was so genuine to me throughout the whole process. He really showed that he cared and that made my decision really easy for me. So once I got into Stanford, I knew I wanted to go there. They seem to have the perfect balance of great academics and athletes and take really good care of their athletes. I feel like I can really shine and find who I am at Stanford.”
For now, Wells will enjoy some off time and prep for her upcoming track and field season. The last of her prep career, it is sure to provide momentum that should carry her into Stanford with a certainty of success.
“I am taking a break right now, but I will build up some mileage after the holidays and before tack season starts in spring,” Wells said. “Until then, I am just looking forward to hanging out with my friends and relaxing for a couple of weeks over the holidays.”
