Francesca Mora’s passion for running started in middle school. “I joined the [Chicago Rabbits Running Club] during COVID because I had nothing to do,” she said. Soon, Francesca started finding running more enjoyable and competitive. “[The club] has helped me improve so much [through their intense] training and environment.”

Recently, Francesca took first place at the Latin Prep Classic, running a three-mile race with a blazing time of 17:48 and beating girls from seven other schools.

“I’m happy I’ve had the opportunity to win,” said Francesca, who was recently named Latin’s Athlete of the Week. “I’m more confident going into the next three years of high school.”

Since joining Latin’s cross country team, Francesca’s favorite meet has been the 36th annual First to The Finish Invitational, the state’s biggest invitational, where she raced more than 400 girls from around Illinois. “It was good to compete against a lot of people [to] see what [the] State [meet will] look like in November,” she said.

Apart from running, Francesca is an avid tennis player. She has played tennis for seven years, including three years of competitive training. This fall, she tackled the difficult decision of choosing cross country or tennis and ultimately opted to pursue her running career. She plans to join Latin’s track and field team in the spring.

Francesca looks forward to the rest of the season and cross country meets, especially the State series. “The team will do really well [at State],” she said, “and it [will be] exciting to compete with them.”