Athlete Highlight: Anya Belisle

January 18, 2024 by Sam Pecota (‘24)

Earlier this year, a select group of Saratoga senior athletes announced their commitments to various universities across the country. One of these impressive athletes is our very own Anya Belisle, who recently committed to the University of New Mexico. In an exclusive interview with Belisle, I learned about her experiences in running for Kinetic, a cross-country track team at our high school, and how she manages to excel in both running and academics.

Belisle, born and raised in Saratoga, has never moved. She shares how grateful she is for such a stable and consistent upbringing through her formative years, and how proud she is to call this town home. Outside of practice, Belisle focuses on balance, and enjoys going out with friends, cooking, and reading. She plans to pursue social sciences at UNM. She explained how her values were reciprocated not only by the coaches, but also by the academic advisors she met with. Belisle’s excited to start the next chapter across the country and thrive in her independence. Her only concern is getting all her belongings to her dorm intact (just kidding). 

When asked why she returns to cross-country through the good times and the bad, Belisle said, “The simplest answer is my team.” She accredits many opportunities she’s accrued to being a member of Kinetic. Belisle said that learning how to help her teammates succeed in a very competitive environment has been incredibly important for her in her high school years, where tensions often run high. In times like those, teammates can turn into your closest allies. When life is hectic, Belisle relies on her training to stay consistent—she knows she cannot have her best day every day, so she focuses on the power in simply showing up. 

Belisle has been running cross-country since 7^th grade, and explains that, while sounding corny, she always felt that the sport was her calling. She said that while managing being part of a champion team and being a leader in the classroom is no easy task, it is rewarding. Her secret is utilizing her extra time to stay ahead when she misses school for meets. She even answered these questions for me while awaiting her next event.  

Belisle has one piece of advice for her freshman-year-self: “Don’t take it personally when people break your trust or get dramatic. It’s natural for things like that to happen in competitive and uncomfortable environments, and we’re in such an awkward stage of our lives. Focus on what you can control. Focus on your self-worth.”

Congratulations to Anya Belisle! We can’t wait to see everything you accomplish as a Lobo.