Rocha impresses at Foot Locker Invitational

Last year, when Peabody High School girls cross country runner Catarina Rocha competed in the Foot Locker Invitational in Long Island for the first time, she finished an impressive eighth place.This year, Rocha, now a seasoned veteran, bettered that performance with a third-place finish. Rocha, a junior, completed the 5K course in 18:19. As the top 10 runners in the race get an invite to the nationals in San Diego next month, Rocha will make a return to the national stage, too.”Last year was her first year (at the Foot Locker Invitational) and we went for experience,” Rocha’s father, Peabody cross country coach Joe Rocha, said. “(This year) we had a plan going into the race. She executed the plan the way we talked about. ? I told her (during the race) to make a move and she went from sixth to third place.”The race, held at Sunken Meadow State Park on Long Island, is for runners from Delaware to Maine.The nationals are not the only reason that this year’s race date of Dec. 10 is significant for Rocha: It happens to be her 17th birthday.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].