Alyssa Levato, a senior at Nazareth Academy, is October’s highly qualified Athlete of the Month.  She is a four year member of the girls cross country team and now, at age 17, she is one of the varsity top twelve and is the second fastest runner on the team.  Though she has suffered through the life changing event of the loss of her father, she continues to excel and surpass expectations through her hard work and dedication.

Levato came into Naz with some experience in running under her belt.  She ran track in grade school and enjoyed the competitiveness of the sport.  However, she found out that cross country was her favorite running sport after doing the summer cross country camp at Naz and joining the team freshman year.   From there she progressed to the position she is in now, accomplishing many team and personal goals along the way.  She qualified for regionals individually her sophomore year, which meant the time it took for her to run three miles stood out from the rest of the team and earned her a spot in the regional race.

“I ran that day not for myself but for my dad who was in the hospital and was unable to come watch me in that meet,” explained Levato, “I wanted to make him proud, so I ran every bit of the race with my heart, knowing it would make him proud”. She definitely made her dad proud that day and made mark her junior year along with the rest of the team when they achieved the titles of regional champions, sectional champions and state qualifiers.  Levato ran her best time ever at the course in Peoria, Illinois, which was 18 minutes and 29 seconds.  This trip to run in the State race remains one of Levato’s finest memories.

“Making it to state last year was one of my best experiences throughout my four years at Naz,” explained Levato, “It was so exciting to really see the team come together and to know that we were the group of girls that made history for the Naz Cross Country Team by making it to state for the first time as a team”.  Her experiences the past three years have been awesome, but she is concentrating on making her senior year the best.

Levato’s main goal for the team this season is to qualify for state again and her personal goal is to lower her three mile time to around the low 18s or high 17s by the end of the season.  So far, Levato’s best time this season is 18 minutes and 41 seconds and she has finished in the top ten in three races, third in one race, second in another and was recently the champion of the Elmwood Park Invite. However, even with her success, she is not about to take the rest of the season lightly.

“We need to push each other to be the best that we can possibly be, and make ourselves and our coaches proud of what we accomplish this year” stressed Levato.  Levato is a true believer in the power of friendship and teamwork in sports.  Her favorite part of cross country is that the team is not just a group of girls who run together, but a family.  She loves how the girls push each other and encourage each other every step of the way.

The time when Levato felt the most blessed to be on the team, however, was not during practice or a meet, but at a funeral.  Throughout her high school career, Levato’s dad had been battling cancer. He continued fighting strongly until one day during her junior year midterms, he died.  Levato deeply misses and remembers her dad fondly. He constantly encouraged her to do her best with his positive actions and sense of humor.  His famous quote, which is printed on the back of the cross country team shirts this season, is “If you don’t win you are sleeping in the garage with no food”.   The team decided to dedicate this season to Mr. Levato, and Levato wrote this message to her team thanking them.

“The fact that this season is dedicated to my dad is such a great honor to me. It means so much to me how supportive the team is and how they dedicated our shirts in honor of him. My dad would’ve been so thankful for this, he would’ve loved to know that we were dedicating this season to him, and how much we looked up to him. My dad was my inspiration, he was always there for me, and always cheering for me at every meet he could make it to, and that’s something that I will never forget and something our team is helping me to remember everyday. I just want to thank my team for all they have done in honor of him this year. I don’t know what i would have done with all the support from you guys. It means the world to me and I know it means the world to him too that our team is doing this. I know my dad is watching over us and he wants the best for us, he will always be with us every step of the way, but instead of being physically there at a meet he will be our guardian angel in heaven, watching over us in everything we do, so my goal for this year is too make my dad proud and make it to state our senior year. If my dad were still here he would be so honored to know how loved and cared for he was, and how he touched the lives of so many others. Thanks so much for everything. I don’t know what I would do without such a supportive and loving team.  You’re helping me to get through the hardest times in the best way possible”.

Levato continues to run, mirroring her dad’s constant persistence.  The part of cross country that she struggles the most with is the unsteady nervousness she feels before a race.  She constantly finds herself thinking about all of the negative outcomes that could occur after the race.  However, she over comes her fears by forcing herself to think positive thoughts.

“I need to realize I have just as much potential as any of the other girls out there and all I have to do is give it my all, do the very best I know I am capable of doing” said Levato.  For her, the best feeling of all is finishing the race and knowing she ran the best she possibly could.  Her advice for all cross country runners is to think positively about themselves and believe that they can accomplish anything.
Levato is having a great season so far and Nazareth, especially her fellow teammates and coaches, wish her luck in the coming meets so that she will be able to sleep in her warm bed indoors with a full stomach.