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2024-25 Women's Cross Country/Track Roster

Valerie Lastra

  • Position Distance
  • Class Senior
  • Hometown Miami
  • High School Mater Academy
  • Prev School UCF

Biography

Valerie Lastra TFRRS Profile

All CUSA Honors
  • 2024 Indoor All-CUSA First Team (Mile-Gold Medalist)
  • 2024 Indoor All-CUSA Second Team (3k-Silver Medalist)
  • 2024 Outdoor All-CUSA Second Team (1500-Silver Medalist)
  • CUSA Cross Country Athlete of the Week (October 3, 2023)
  • 2023 All-CUSA Third Team (Cross Country)
  • 2022 All-Academic Team (Cross Country)
  • 2022 All-CUSA Second Team (Cross Country)
  • CUSA Cross Country Athlete of the Week (October 18, 2022)
  • 2023 All-CUSA Second Team (Cross Country) 

FIU All-Time Top 10

  • No. 1: Indoor DMR (11:49.62)
  • No. 1: Cross Country 6k (20:07.90)
  • No. 1: Indoor Mile (4:38.46)
  • No. 1: Outdoor 1500 (4:21.35)
  • No. 2: Cross Country 5k (17:30.00)
  • No. 2: Indoor 3k (9:33.07)
  • No. 2: Outdoor 800 (2:09.01)
  • No. 3: Indoor 800 (2:10.60


Junior (2023-2024) - Cross Country:  Began her FIU career in impressive fashion by posting a PR of 17:30 at the FSU Invitational, earning a fifth-place finish and Conference USA Athlete of the Week Honors for her performance...placed 16th at the Alabama Crimson Classic...Placed 15th at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships, helping guide FIU to a fourth-place team finish...set a 6K PR at the NCAA South Regional Championships, running 20:07 to place 46th. Indoor: Opened the season with a first place finish in the 3000m at the RADD Track and Field Invitational, clocking in at 9:33.07... placed first in the 800m with a time of 2:10.60 and second in the mile with a time of 4:39.52 at the Scarlet Knight Open... placed third in the mile at the Music City Challenge, finishing in 4:38.46... secured first place in the mile with a time of 4:39.98, and second in the 3000m with a time of 9:36.43, and fourth in the DMR with a time of 11:49.62 at the Conference USA Indoor Track & Field Championship. Outdoor: Placed fifth in the 1500m at the Pepsi Florida Relays with a time of 4:21.35... finished 93rd in the 1500m at the Bryan Clay Invitational with a time of 4:22.90... secured first place in the 1500m with a time of 4:23.95 and fifth in the 800m with a time of 2:09.01 at the East Coast Relays... finished fourth in the 1500m with a time of 4:44.98 in the prelims and second with a time of 4:27.81 in the finals at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships.

Sophomore (2021-2022, at UCF) 

  • Placed 5th at the UF Mountain Dew Invite and UCF Cross Country Invite 
  • Earned an 8th place finish at the American Conference Championships 
  • Placed 7th in the finals of the 1500 at the American Outdoor Championships 

Freshman (2020-21, at UCF)

  • 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year
  • In her first collegiate race, won the UCF Cross Country Invite and set the freshman 5K record with a time of 17:43.6 (1/23)
  • Posted the fastest time by a freshman at the conference meet since 2017, finishing fourth overall in 21:10.55.
  • Earned all-conference accolades and became the first Knight to earn Freshman of the Year in The American
  • In just two meets, Lastra broke Anne-Marie Blaney's freshman 5K and 6K records
  • Fourth-place finish is the best conference debut by a Knight
  High School
  • Two-time cross country All-American and qualifier for the Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals
  • Set the Apalachee Regional Park course record (17:17.58) in 2018
  • Won back-to-back 3A cross country state titles 
  • As a freshman, won the AAU Nationals cross country meet
  • Finished second at the cross country state championship as an eighth grader
  • Graduated Cum Laude and top of her class in dual enrollment macro and micro economics
  • Silver Knight nominee
  • Member of the Art Honor Society and National Honor Society

Personal: Majoring in Electrical Engineering

Historical Player Information

  • 2023-24Junior

    Distance
  • 2024-25Senior

    Distance