On May 8, 2025, the Hamilton Southeastern boys’ track team competed at the Hamilton Country Conference (HCC) Championship. At the meet, senior Christian Ortiz shattered his own personal record and set both a school and meet record in the 200-meter dash. With a time of 21.18 seconds, Ortiz broke the previous record of 21.31, held by Noah Malone.
Despite this huge milestone, Ortiz made it evident that this achievement was not handed to him, it came through pure determination, grit, and hard work. That day, his motivation was Mason Alexander, a close friend and former track teammate.
“I said earlier that day that I was going to be running for Mason, and that’s exactly what I did,” Ortiz exclaimed.
Echoing this statement, Ortiz’s teammates, long jumper Dylan James and sprinter Jaxson Wanza, shared how inspired they were by his performance. James noted that Ortiz is the full package: someone who knows how to balance hard work but also keeps the energy fun and positive at practice, making him a teammate that other athletes truly appreciate.
“Christian is a hard-working kid; he pushes the team every day. And without him, we wouldn’t have a speaker or any music during practice,” James shares. “His record makes me want to be my best. It makes me want to break a school record or something someday”
Ortiz continues to motivate those around him because of his relentless drive at every practice and meet. He has built strong bonds with his teammates, leaving a lasting impression especially for the underclassmen.
“It feels good knowing he’s on the team because it gives me another person to work out with. He always pushes me to be the best ‘me’ I can be,” Wanza said. “His record inspires me because the 200 is my event too, so seeing someone else succeed in it definitely pushes me even harder.”
As Ortiz prepares to graduate and continue his track career at DePaul University, he hopes his teammates will remember one thing: “I want people to remember how hard I worked, and nothing was given to me. Everything was earned.”
