Frosh has great deal of promise for XCP track

 

Another well-rounded track athlete is in our midst at Xavier Prep. Freshman Tatiyana Angry has the chance to become one of the most decorated competitors in the school’s history by the time she is ready to graduate.

That is high praise, indeed, but Angry believes she is up to the task. She already seems to have the ability and confidence of an older person.

She has been in sprints and relays, and now appears to be focusing on mid-range events such as the 400 meters and the 300-meter hurdles. She expects to compete in the Northeast Valley Region meet on May 3 and 5 at Phoenix Horizon and hopes to be in one or more events at the Division I state meet on May 12 and 15 at Phoenix Desert Vista.

“I enjoy the 400 and the 300 hurdles,’’ said Angry, who goes by “Tati’’ to most who know her. “The first few times I did those, I surprised myself.’’

Tatiyana Angry is a promising do-just-about-everything track athlete for Xavier (Photo by Don Ketchum).

She is in her fourth year of track after having played soccer. She said her father, Travis, a youth sports coach and motivational speaker, “along with some other coaches noticed that I have a lot of speed. So they got me out on the track, like a fast car.’’

Since coming to Xavier, Angry says she has developed good relationships with her teammates.

“There are so many girls out here who work hard and have put up some good times, I give them props,’’ said. “All of them seem to have things that they do very well, strength, speed endurance . . .’’

Angry attended elementary/middle school at a charter school near her home in Goodyear. She already has some experience with advanced placement classes in the sciences and has excelled in those environments.

“That helped me when I came here to Xavier,’’ she said.

“You want to be serious about it, but you also want to have fun. That’s what I try to do. I think if you pay attention and ask questions, you will do just fine.’’

She is the oldest of seven children, so there is plenty of interaction.

Like her classmates, Angry is trying to get back to normal after everyone was affected by the Covid pandemic.

“I don’t like anything holding me back like that,’’ she said. “I have tried to deal with it, and those masks . . . sometimes they make it harder for you to breathe.’’

All of the Gators support each other, she said, and notice little things a teammate might be doing or not doing that might help them by doing the opposite or being more consistent.

“You can always do better, but I am proud of the season we have had,’’ she said. “You want to push each other and encourage them to not give up when it gets tough. I try to be the best I can be and want to look back and say that I gave everything that I had.’’