Dec. 9, 2024
Mariana Zaragoza ran the best season of her cross-country collegiate career in 2024 after overcoming a torn ACL less than a year ago. Defeating the odds, she beat her personal record at the National Junior College Athletic Association regional competition putting her in fifth place and securing a spot for the Grand Rapids Community College women’s team to compete in the national competition.
Sharon Becker, GRCC’s women’s cross-country coach, knew Zaragoza was going to be a pivotal part of the team.
“Zaragoza was our fifth runner,” Becker said. “She was crucial to us being ranked third, for us winning regionals, and for us winning the conference.”
Zaragoza’s accomplishment came after a great deal of hard work to get her there.
The previous season, Zaragoza tore her ACL playing basketball two days before the cross-country season was set to begin. She spent the next six months working to gain her mobility and strength back after surgery. She would miss the entire cross-country season in physical therapy. Zaragoza reflected on the moment she knew she was seriously injured.
“Having a big part of my personality, my athleticism, taken away from me so instantly was really hard on me,” Zaragoza said. However, Zaragoza was no stranger to overcoming the setbacks an injury can bring.
A love for running leads to new determination
At 3 years old, Zaragoza’s leg was run over by a lawn mower.
“I don’t remember the accident itself. I remember sitting in a sink of ice while my Grandmother sang to me, “Zaragoza said. “I remember I spent the whole summer in the hospital.”
Zaragoza’s mother, Rebeckah, recalled the moment the doctors came to speak to her.
“They said it would be easier to just cut off her leg. I told them no, unless it’s her life or her leg,” Rebeckah Zaragoza said. “After multiple surgeries, the doctors couldn’t believe how her body was healing itself so remarkably. Zaragoza’s bones were regrowing surprisingly quickly. She walked out of there months later with just a skin graft. I always told her; you are a miracle and you’re going to do great things.”
Zaragoza’s injury left her without an ankle bone and an inefficiency in her blood flow. That didn’t phase her at all. She was an even more active child after her surgeries than before. After following in her oldest sister’s footsteps, Zaragoza took up running in the fourth grade when her family moved to the Upper Peninsula. When she ran her first race at 8 years old and came in first place, she knew she was on to something big.
Overcoming setbacks to achieve a personal best
After tearing her ACL, Zaragoza knew she had overcome difficult hurdles before. Her determination had been tested in the past and she persevered in ways only a miracle could. After almost seven months of rehab, relying on a strong support system and dedicating herself to the hard work or recovery, Zaragoza pushed herself to run again. She decided to rejoin the cross-country team after Becker encouraged her to return.
“Sharon really cares about each one of her athletes on a personal level. She didn’t want me to give up. She knew I could do it,” Zaragoza said of Coach Sharon Becker. “The doctor told me after my ACL surgery that I could be two to four minutes slower. After a lot of hard work, I knew I was going to be okay.”
Less than a year back from her injury, Zaragoza ran a personal record coming in more than 10 seconds under her fastest time.
Zaragoza recalled how much her support system gave her the extra motivation to keep going.
“I accepted that I may not be able to run again. That I am more than an athlete. I’m a student, I’m a daughter, I’m a granddaughter. I’m someone’s friend, I’m someone who people can come to when they need someone,” Zaragoza said. “The ACL surgery helped me see that. My injury as a child wasn’t a setback. It motivated me to never use anything as an excuse. It helped me actualize my determined spirit to never limit myself. If I can overcome that, I can overcome this. I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again.”
Zaragoza not only came back to the sport of running when she rejoined GRCC’s cross-country team, she achieved her personal best. She proved to herself once again that she can do whatever she puts her mind to and motivated many people along the way.
“It’s something I’ve worked hard for. The accident as a child didn’t define who I was. My hard work because of what I went through defined who I was,” Zaragoza said.
“In a way it made me who I am and I worked really hard to get here.”
Zaragoza’s positivity and determination to work through the challenges not only brought her to new levels in her collegiate running career, it helped her appreciate the journey that much more.
This story was reported by Anjula Caldwell.