PEABODY — When Savanna Vargas was in fifth grade, the mayor of Peabody hosted an “Olympiad” for every elementary school in Peabody. The Olympiad consisted of different types of games and events. Vargas ran the 40-yard dash and, to her surprise, was the fastest.
“They had a 40-meter dash… I won it,” Vargas, who’s now a senior, said. “They called my name and I was like ‘oh, wow,’ I’m the fastest girl here.”
At first, Vargas ran track to “stay in shape.” Fast forward to her sophomore season – a year after the pandemic – and Vargas had thought about quitting.
“I was with senior teammates… and they were like, ‘Savanna, you’re going to be all by yourself your last year,’” Vargas said. “I was saying to myself that I wasn’t good enough since I wasn’t qualifying for any individual events for Nationals yet… I was convinced that I was going to quit track.”
Vargas stopped working out, but in her junior year, she found her love for track.
“I started to go back to practice and I was jogging around the indoor track and something just clicked in my head as I turned the corner,” Vargas said. “I love this sport.”
Now, Vargas holds eight school records, has yet to lose a race in two years in the NEC, and is one of the fastest runners in the city of Peabody. In addition, Vargas is a 3x Divisional state qualifier, 3x All-State qualifier, 2x New England qualifier, and 3x Nationals qualifier among many other accolades.
This past winter season, one of Vargas’ goals was to be invited to the Championships – a meet where you need a specific time to qualify.
“[At the start of the season] I was progressively getting PR’s (personal records) and then something happened,” Vargas said. “I plateaued for like three meets. It’s unlike me to not PR every time I run.”
Vargas plateaued, running a 7.22 when she needed a 7.21 to be invited to the Championship.
“I was getting nervous because I really wanted to qualify for Championships,” Vargas said.
In a following meet, Vargas tried something new. Throwing coach Jay Smith introduced Vargas to Reflexive Performance Reset.
“It’s like a reset for your body. I did it the day before a meet and I ended up getting a PR,” Vargas said.
Normally, Peabody head coach Fernando Braz doesn’t want his runners to go to the New England’s tournament because it’s the week before Nationals. However, after some begging from Vargas, he let her run.
Vargas ran a 7.22 in the prelims and then PR’d again in the finals, running a 7.17 to qualify for Championships.
Vargas credits Smith, Braz and her sprinting coaches Daniel Harris and Scott Myers for helping her qualify, and for the consistent motivation.
When asked what she enjoys most about track, Vargas pointed to the friends she has made along the way.
“I have made lifelong friends. I hang out with these people more than I see my mom,” Vargas said. “It’s the people and atmosphere that make this sport great.”
Vargas is looking to run track in college, all with hopes of finding what she’s already gotten at Peabody.
“I want to make sure I find an atmosphere where everyone is united,” Vargas said. “I really want a united track team, something like what I have at Peabody.”
