COLORADO SPRINGS – There was a brief scare for the Coronado cross country team prior to the start of the season. Word went around that Zinabu Engstrom’s father had accepted an educational administration position in Minnesota.
That left things pretty unclear for the Cougars top runner for the 2021 season. But after a few discussions, those worries were alleviated. Engstrom wanted to finish what he started with his team. While his father moved away, he stayed put and hopes to punch a ticket to the state cross country meet when the Cougars race at Monument Valley Park on Thursday.
“My primary motivation was to stay at Coronado with the cross country team,” he said. “The coaches are amazing and it’s a great family that we have here at Coronado.”
That family atmosphere has translated to success for the senior. At the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede, the pre-state meet back in September, Engstrom put together a solid race and finished in 16 minutes, 31.8 seconds to finish sixth.
Since that race, he has put considerable effort in cutting down his time and being the first runner to cross the finish line. Although he’s been near the top of the leaderboard in each race he has competed in, he has fallen just short of a win each time.
But his attitude never wavers and that was another reason that the Cougars were happy to see him stay put for the season.
“He is such a great example for this team,” coach Grant Stoughton said. “He is non-stop work. He’s not the most vocal kid but he puts out the example that everybody follows. He gets them on the same page. You’re either working or you’re working. There is no other option.”
He did not compete at last week’s league championship race, but that work ethic and that drive that he inspires in his teammates resulted in the Cougars taking a first-place finish as a team. Freshman Boston Potts crossed got the best finish for the team, taking third at 16:58.58.
Engstrom’s regional result will come from a mix of setting the tone for his teammates as well as his ability to get better by battling a lot of talented runners in the Colorado Springs area. He doesn’t like to evaluate himself just on the teams that compete in the Colorado Springs Metro League. He wants to measure himself against the top runners from all around the city, runners that have a chance to claim a state championship in just over a week.
“The competition here is amazing,” Engstrom said. “Henry (Ilyasova) at Manitou and there are a bunch of guys in 5A and 4A that are tough.”
Like any good athlete, he likes feeding off that competition. Racing against fast runners push him to get better. And it makes his decision to stay all the better for him, his teammates and his coaches.
“I told him we would make it worth it,” Stoughton said. “We had a plan for the season and it’s chugging along.”
It just has to chug along for one more race to get him to state.