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Gabriela Rios-Sotelo doesn’t have her mentor around anymore but has become a leader in her place. 

The 5-foot-4 sophomore is the top runner on the girls’ cross country team at St. Mary’s High School. Last year’s star was Bridget Duffy, who is now a freshman on the Cal cross country team. Duffy took Rios-Sotelo under her wing last year as the latter began running cross country for the first time in her life. 

“She’s had a very good season,” St. Mary’s coach Denis Mohun said of his rising star. “The hard thing for Gabby was that last year her mentor was Bridget Duffy, and now she’s gone. This year, she’s had to take the lead role and has adjusted quite nicely. She’s matured into a nice runner. 

“She’s really learning how to race. Before she would just take the lead and run. Now she’s more of a racer, knowing how to race and use a course to her advantage, knowing when it makes sense for her to make a move on the course. She’s beginning to enjoy it a lot more. She’s able to relax. The team wasn’t looking for her to be the top gun last year, but this year they’re looking for her to be the No. 1 runner in every race.” 

Rios-Sotelo has won nine of her 10 races, including the BSAL final, which she won with a time of 22:19, one minute and nine seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Next up is the NCS championship at Hayward High School this Saturday. 

The only race she lost was the Lagoon Valley Classic, her second race of the year. She finished back in the pack. 

“It was the beginning of the year, and she had jitters,” Mohun said. “Part of that was the coach’s fault. I should’ve had a better game plan. Sometimes you forget with a young, talented runner they’re still learning.” 

Rios-Sotelo rebounded the following week, winning a race at Nevada Union with a time of 19:58. 

“She had a breakout race there and faced Cherisse MacPherson from Silver Creek High School,” Mohun said. “That’s a race where Gabby said, ‘Okay, I can do this. I need to come out more relaxed and focused. I’m a talented runner and I’ve been working hard. I should put myself in a position every race to be with the top runners.’ Now, she hasn’t lost since early September.” 

Rios-Sotelo says winning the BSAL final and winning at Piedmont were her most memorable moments so far this year. She turned the wrong way at two points in the Piedmont race and had to double back each time, and she still won. 

Rios-Sotelo learned to run competitively under Mohun. 

But she learned the intangibles of running from Duffy,who was a senior last year when Rios-Sotelo was a freshman. 

“One of the best benefits Gabby had was having Bridget last year as a running partner,” Mohun said.  

“They clicked well. Gabby learned just about going out and competing, about running to win always vs. always just putting in a time. 

Gabby was fortunate to have someone older than her who was a very good athlete to help train and teach her. Hopefully, Gabby’s the type of person who will take other girls coming in now under her wing, so she can get them to move up a level.” 

Rios-Sotelo keeps in touch with Duffy, who is still around at nearby Cal. 

“I talk to her a lot,” Rios-Sotelo said. “Basically, most of what I learned is from her. She’s been really great. The best thing she said is, ‘Just go out there and have fun, because coaches are telling you your whole plan, and you need someone to remind you it’s fun.’”