Upon entering her junior year at Seymour High School, Yuliana Naraz decided she wanted to get involved in athletics

Naraz became manager of the soccer team in the fall, and in the spring she joined the track and field team.

Naraz ran the high hurdles, the 200 dash both years and was a member of the 4×100 relay her junior year.

The senior said that learning how to run the hurdles took a lot of practice.

“At first it was challenging because I was having to jump over them, then keep running, but I really liked them because I needed a challenge and when I’m doing the hurdles it feels nice,” Naraz said.

She always led with her left leg, and said it took a lot of practice to get her steps down and to improve her time.

Naraz said she also enjoyed running the 200, and felt comfortable running around the curve.

“It starts out on the back straightaway so it gives you time to speed up where in the 100 you have to be on pace and stay in front,” Naraz said. “I liked to run inside (lanes) because the outside felt like a bigger race “If you didn’t start off good, then the rest of the race wasn’t as good. During practice we did a lot of 200s so that really helped. Practice was a big part of it.”

She said she enjoyed practicing and running on the new track at Bulleit Stadium.

She said she enjoyed her teammates.

“They were very supportive, like if you were a sprinter, the distance people would cheer you on while you were doing your events,” Naraz said.

She moved to Seymour from Greensburg prior to her freshman year, and said she liked how big the school was and the opportunities that the students are offered.

“It’s a lot bigger than Greensburg and I like the diversity,” Naraz said. “It gives you an opportunity to do something else outside of school other than just come to school and do your work. You meet a lot of people so it’s nice and you meet acquaintances. I made some friends in soccer, too

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Name: Yuliana Naraz

High school: Seymour

Parents: Lidia Naraz

Siblings: Melissa, Rene, Gianina

Sports: track and field 2 years, soccer manager 2 years

Organizations: French Club, Pep Club

Plans after high school: attend college

Favorite food: Lasagna

Favorite TV show: Good Girls

Favorite musicians: Twenty One Pilots, Queen

Favorite movie: Avengers: Endgame

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