Caroline Bonnecaze, Bay Area Christian
As Caroline Bonnecaze stepped up to the starting line at The Woodlands Christian Invitational on August 25, 2018, the then seventh grader didn't know what to expect.
Or, even what time to shoot for.
Bonnecaze just ran.
Her times got better and better as the season went on. Eventually on October 18, 2018, she took second place at the GHAC XC Championships for middle school.
“I think placing like I did really boosted my confidence especially for the years following,” Bonnecaze said. “It still drives me to compete harder at meets. Doing so well convinced me to keep doing cross country and I’m so glad I have.”
As she transitioned to the high school level in 2020 as a freshman at Bay Area Christian School, Bonnecaze continued to drop her time and kept finding the podium.
In October of 2020, Bonnecaze ran a thenpersonal best of 12:25.40 at the TAPPS 4A District 4 & 5 Championship to take home the district crown. She then advanced to the TAPPS State Championships, where she finished fifth overall.
Last spring, Bonnecaze took her success from the cross-country course to the oval. She advanced to the TAPPS Track & Field State Championships in all three distance races – the 800-meter, 1600-meter and 3200-meter. There, she ran personal bests in all three events.
Bonnecaze finished third in the 800-meter (2:25.55), fourth in the 1600-meter (5:37.77) and fifth in the 3200-meter (12:55.17) as a freshman.
“My success has been very rewarding,” Bonnecaze said. “It’s fulfilling to see your hard work pay off and see my times drop. Although I have good races, there are always races I don’t do as well in. Even though it’s disappointing to have a bad race, it keeps me motivated at practice to do better than the last time. I try to work on keeping a consistent workout schedule, so I don’t lose progress. Endurance is also something I constantly keep working on.”
Being this good at a sport which can take two to five to 12 minutes to finish a race, comes down to feeling and instincts for Bonnecaze.
While running, the sophomore thinks about things like “how far have I gone, how many more laps, what place am I in, if I need to pass people, if my pace is too fast or too slow, and how water will taste so good after I finish”. Even, what meal she will get after the meet is over.
With so many races under her belt, Bonnecaze admits she knows when it is time for that final kick to the finish.
“By the last 100 meters of a race I’m typically sprinting and the adrenaline takes over,” she said.
This year as a sophomore for BACS, Bonnecaze advanced to the TAPPS Cross Country State Championships for a second-straight year and finished 10th overall. This spring, Bonnecaze continues to run her distance races but has also added the long jump, reaching 14-feet7.5-inches in March as a personal best.
“This year I wanted to try something new, and I’ve never participated in a field event before,” Bonnecaze said. “Long jump has been unlike anything I’ve competed in, which I think helps me appreciate the other events more. I’ve enjoyed getting to start fresh at something and gain new skills. I’ve been working on the different parts of the jump and trying to get more height.”
So, could we see Bonnecaze running at the next level one day?
“Running in college hasn’t been my main goal, however, if the right opportunity arose, I’d consider the possibility,” she said.
