Following a disappointing junior season, Taylor has completely turned around her cross country career, ascending to the top step of the podium on numerous occasions while setting personal-best times.

“Last year, I focused too much on my times and placements,” Taylor said of her junior season. “I kind of let that define who I was. I separated myself from being just single-handedly an athlete.

“This past summer, I really just wanted to focus on having fun. That’s what I enjoy the most about it.”

Through three meets in 2026, Taylor has finished no lower than second. She was first at Rich River Rattler Invitational and Los Mezquites XC Invite, both held locally in Southern Arizona. On Friday, she ran a personal-best time of 18:41.9, finishing second in the Girls Championship Race at Desert Twilight XC Festival, one of the crowning achievements of her career.

Mustangs’ cross country coach Derek Kieninger has witnessed Taylor’s resurgence first-hand, and gives the senior an incredible amount of credit for her consistency and commitment to improvement after regressing last season.

“When it comes to her training, she has been so consistent,” her coach said. “For her senior year, she realized she had to change her approach… I know (as a junior) she didn’t have the best performances or the showings she wanted in the state meets for cross country and track. This year, she’s run three picture-perfect races.

“She’s basically said, ‘You know what, I can’t change the past, but I can change the outcome of the future.’ And she has taken that to heart.”

Taylor began running competitively as a fifth grader when her P.E. teacher noticed she could hold the same pace as some of the older runners on the cross country team. After the COVID-19 pandemic neutralized the opportunity to compete in sixth grade, she jumped back in the fold in seventh and eighth grade.

Early on, Taylor began to fall in love with cross country due to her parents’ running backgrounds, as well as the way distance running made her feel. As a devout Christian, running is a way for Taylor to get in touch with her faith.

“The feeling you get when you run, it feels like you’re accomplishing something,” Taylor said. “I always pray when I run, and it makes me feel something spiritually. Like I get closer to God because of how I push myself.”

Taylor made a big push in her cross country career as a sophomore, setting a personal-best time of 19:07.1 at the Eye of the Tiger meet in Marana. She finished fifth in sectionals and 17th at state to close out her sophomore year.

That year is when Kieninger started working with Taylor as the team’s top runner. He saw her potential and knew she had more in the tank to log better times and stronger results.

“I knew she wanted more out of her cross country career,” Kieninger said. “She had bigger goals, and even with my demanding style of training, she never complained and always did what was asked of her because at the end of the day, she knows it is going to make her better.”

Sahuarita’s program calls for six practices a week, including Saturday mornings, and high mileage built on easy runs of 10 to 12 miles. Summer sessions are optional, but the runners who make the 6 a.m. workouts six days a week are the ones who improve. Taylor was in the summer mix, especially heading into her senior season.

Through these experiences, Taylor’s love for the sport was strengthened.

Cross country teams experience a different bond than many squads across high school athletics. While some sports are grouped up by position, or execute different roles, cross country runners experience the same challenges at the same time, almost always working as a group to improve.

“I've met some of the greatest friends on the cross country team, and I think it's because you run so hard together,” she said. “It's like a trauma bond. Everyone also kind of has the same personality where you can truly be yourself with each other. It’s really fun to be a part of.”

Taylor also has no shortage of other hobbies and commitments to keep her hands full away from the course, which make her success in the sport even more impressive.

Her schedule is jam-packed. She helps in numerous ways at Common Ground Church of Sahuarita, where her father, David, is the senior pastor. She’s played the piano since she was five and also plays the violin and bass. She also holds a 4.5 GPA in the classroom.

While running is perhaps her most competitive passion, Taylor also has a deep love for music. Taylor is set on attending California Baptist University in Riverside, California, to study film screening and music with aspirations to write underscores for movies and musicals. The Lancers also have a strong cross country program, a roster which she hopes she can battle her way onto. Her sister also attends CBU.

“I’ve wanted to go there since seventh grade,” Taylor gushed. “I’d love to study there and run, and I am very close with my sister, so I feel like that would be a great fit for me.”

Before Taylor walks the stage with aspirations to become a Lancer, there’s still much for her to accomplish in her running career.

Five regular-season meets remain on the schedule, with divisional and state to follow. Taylor hopes to continue to smash her personal-best times, while also aiming for a Top 20 finish at state.

“I just want to stay consistent,” Taylor said. “I also want to continue to try my best no matter what. I let the mental part get to me last year. This year, I want to push past that mental barrier and see what happens.”

Fast Five with Naomi

Do you have any pre-race superstitions?

If I don’t eat chicken alfredo the night before a race, I honestly think I’m going to fail.

Any pre-race snack you have to have?

I get Club Crackers, and I can crush a whole pack before a meet if I’m not careful.

What’s your favorite movie score?

Probably “La La Land” or any of the “Star Wars” movies.

Do you have a favorite running shoe brand?

Nike. The exact Nike Pegasus I have on is my absolute favorite.

If you could run anywhere in the world, where would you run?

I love the beach, so probably Florida or California.