Gomez nabs Amarillo College Women’s XC Athlete of the Year honor

When Ariyah Gomez finishes a race after putting it all on the line, the fulfillment is euphoric for the Amarillo College trailblazer.

The mentality that wills her to the finish line is what separates the former Randall High graduate from the pack.

The Badger women’s cross country athlete etched her name into the record books during her freshman season in 2022, becoming the first National Junior College Athletic Association All-American long-distance runner in school history last November.

Gomez spoke of the recipe for her success, stating that mental preparation and perseverance has enabled her to reach greater heights.

“I think every runner believes that running is painful mentally. Going into that knowing that all you have to do is overcome it, I get into races knowing it’s going to be mentally hard but I have to step out of that comfort zone,” she said. “Once I finish, I’m so proud of myself knowing that if I could do it now, then I could do it in the future and push harder.

“It still brings me joy, that feeling of accomplishment after I get done running and knowing I can push myself past that mental level that most people struggle with.”

Gomez’s journey to becoming a collegiate runner began in the seventh grade when the Amarillo native started running competitively in road races.

Fast forward two years and the realization of wanting to run in college arrived. Gomez placed second at the 3-5A District meet and 28th at regionals as a freshman at Randall.

But the first chapter of her noteworthy high school cross country story did not end as planned.

A season-ending injury prevented Gomez from running at state, marking the only year she did not qualify for the big dance.

“My freshman year I got injured so I didn’t get to make it to state. When I was sitting out I knew it was what I wanted to do. This is what I needed to do for college because I didn’t want to give up on it,” she explained. “Once it was my sophomore and junior year, I was improving my times knowing I wanted to run in college.”

Gomez went on to become a three-time state qualifier, district champion, and top-five regional placer her remaining three seasons at the high school level.

The 2022 Randall High School graduate became the prized recruit of the Amarillo College cross country team’s first recruiting class. Gomez led the Badger women’s team in all seven races they competed in last fall.

“She was a really good athlete at Randall High School and we stayed on track,” Amarillo College head coach Sean Hargrove said. “She continued in the collegiate cross-country world. It’s nothing I did specifically, she trained hard and continued to be the best she could be.”

Assistant coach Garrett Cobb praised Gomez for leading by example the entire season.

“She was a team leader. She was probably one of the hardest workers and she had a job as well. She maintained good grades and never missed practice,” he said. “She took care of what she had to take care of and was very disciplined.”

Gomez placed 21st out of 181 competitors at the 2022 NJCAA DI Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida via a personal-best 5K time (19 minutes 21 seconds) to earn All-American honors.

“I was really nervous that day at nationals,” Gomez said. “Once I got there and was in the race, I knew I didn’t have to worry about any of that. Coach prepared us for it physically and mentally. As a team and coaches, we gave each other confidence. My goal going into nationals was keeping my mindset strong and know that I worked hard to be where I’m at.”

As a new season approaches, the soon-to-be sophomore is preparing to raise the bar even further in her final year as a Badger.

Gomez hopes to break to the 19-minute barrier and lead her team to a top 10 finish at nationals.

“I want to break 19 and possibly low 18’s,” she said. “We’ve been getting closer as a team meeting up every morning train. It has really pushed me and we’ve gotten closer while we’re preparing for our season ahead.”