Valentina Martinez is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Corona del Sol High School for AZPreps365.com

Angelina Hickey has essentially been competing all her life. Hickey and her twin brother Thomas were born nearly three months premature and weighed only two pounds. 

The twins were so premature that their lungs hadn’t begun to develop. Hickey was born with a hole in her lung which needed immediate surgery. The twins remained in the neonatal intensive care unit for almost four months before Thomas and Silvia Hickey were allowed to take them home.

Hickey’s fighting spirit since birth plays an important role in who she is today. Currently, Hickey is the fastest freshmen runner that Corona del Sol has ever had. Her personal record is 19:21, which is the eighth fastest time at Corona. Furthermore, Hickey is ranked fifth in the state out of all Division 1 freshmen girls. 

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well,” Hickey said.

Hickey’s journey as a runner for the Corona cross country team began this summer. Despite being a freshman, head coach Brian Crane placed Angelina with a group of senior runners because he had heard she was “coming in fast.” Crane hoped grouping Hickey with seniors throughout the summer would challenge her as a younger runner. 

Though Hickey entered the team with a typical freshman mentality, rather quiet and shy, she’s been able to grow into her role as a leader on the team. She’s bonded with several of her teammates, including senior Dalee Higgins who speaks highly of Hickey’s talent and her infectious drive as a runner. 

“Personally, she’s pushed me so much,” Higgins said. “I want to be better because of her.”

The team typically works out twice a week and many of Hickey’s teammates use her as the standard of how hard they should be pushing themselves. Higgins said she’s satisfied with a workout if she can keep up with Hickey. 

Hickey shared that one of her favorite aspects of cross country is being able to meet new people who she can bond with. Thomas Hickey shared that he believes his daughter’s teammates provided emotional support for her as she adapted to a new team. 

Seniors such as Higgins welcomed Hickey to the team with open arms, providing a sense of camaraderie for the young runner. 

Although this is Hickey’s first year with a high school workload, she’s figured out how to time manage her busy schedule as a student-athlete. 

A typical day for Hickey consists of school, practice, hours of homework and more running in her free time. She has dedicated much of her time to improve her running. “It’s something to look forward to,” Hickey said.

She watches running videos, listens to motivational speeches and even trained during quarantine despite the unknowns surrounding the season. 

Crane shared with Hickey that all of Corona’s greatest runners not only attended practices, but also ran on their own throughout the week. And so, during the week, Hickey wakes up around 5 a.m. in order to get a run in before school. On the weekends, Hickey will also run with her dad. 

“We couldn’t be prouder,” Thomas said. “Angelina has always been someone that puts her heart and soul into whatever she does.”

Hickey is a leader by action. She’s a soft-spoken leader who prefers to stay behind the scenes. She’s not one to give the motivational speech before the meet; however, despite her youth, Hickey’s infectious drive and work ethic inspires not only her teammates, but also her coach. 

“She is a very quiet leader,” Crane said. “I don’t think she sees herself as a leader but she is. It’s just done quietly.”

The team is her focus and is what makes cross country so special for Hickey. She may be the leader the Corona cross country team has been waiting for to take their program to the next level. 

“We can’t wait to see where she goes,” Higgins said.