Veteran Gaston College runner coming off career milestone entering Region 10 championships in Shelby on Saturday

The goal of all serious runners is to get better with every race and turn in faster times.

And so it is with Gaston College sophomore Stefani Vergara-Delgado, who reached a milestone in her Rhinos career on October 14 at the USC Upstate Invitational at the Milliken Research Arboretum course in Spartanburg, S.C.

Vergara-Delgado turned in a 265th overall finish for a 197 score with a time of 26:32.5, capturing team medalist honors for the first time.

"I ran like I always run," said Vergara-Delgado, a second-year art major at Gaston College. "My goal is to improve every race, and that is what I have been doing."

Vergara-Delgado and her Rhinos teammates competed in a 32-team race loaded with 25 NCAA Division I, two NCAA Division II teams, two NCAA Division III teams, a U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association team and National Junior College Athletic Association Region 10 teams Gaston College and Spartanburg Methodist.

"There were a lot of big schools there, and I have to admit it was a little intimidating," Vergara-Delgado said of the stacked field.

What's more, the Rhinos competed without two injured freshman runners who have finished first and second on the team in each of the three previous meets this season.

"We were missing our better runners, but they were still there to cheer us on," Vergara-Delgado said of teammates Keirieonna Wilson and Abigail Presley. "With some runners gone, you want to show that you can cover their spot when we need it."

The October 14 meet was Gaston College's final tune-up before the 2023 Region 10 championship meet on October 28 at the Cleveland Community College course in Shelby. The Rhinos finished as Region 10 runner-up to Spartanburg Methodist in last year's meet that was held at the Milliken Research Arboretum course.

As for Vergara-Delgado, the North Lincoln High alum has yet to match her personal best time during her stint at Gaston College. She is hoping that will change on Saturday.

The same goes for the team.

"Our goal is to qualify (for the national meet) as a team," Vergara-Delgado said. "And if that is not possible, we definitely want to qualify more than one runner for the nationals."

That was the case last year when one Rhinos runner, Victoria Perez, earned a berth in the national meet based on her performance in the Region 10 race.

Even though she failed to qualify, Vergara-Delgado made the trip to the nationals in Tallahassee Fla., as a practice runner for Perez.

"It was a really fun experience," she said. "But I actually want to run in it this year."