YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – Whenever Cassandra Jarzabek took to the track or cross country course this season, the question was often not “if” she would set records, but “when.”

The Humphreys sophomore did not disappoint.

Driven by watching her record-setting predecessor, Jane Williams of Matthew C. Perry, in 2024, Jarzabek broke her Pacific records in the 800 and 1,600 during the just completed 2025 season. She also set the Far East meet record in the 800, again topping Williams.

For the second year in a row, Jarzabek was also named the Far East Division I girls Athlete of the Meet, for sweeping the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 and helping the Blackhawks capture the 3,200-meter relay.

“She’s a cut above everybody else,” Kubasaki coach Joshua McCall said. “It’s hard to know what her upper limits will be.”

For all that, Jarzabek has been named Stars and Stripes Pacific girls track and field Athlete of the Year.

Jarzabek had enjoyed a dream fall season on the cross country courses, becoming the first Pacific runner to clock under 18 minutes in a 5-kilometer race, and winning the combined Far East/Asia-Pacific Invitational race in October in Japan.

Earning the Far East Athlete of the Meet award not just once, but twice in a row, came as an “immediate relief,” Jarzabek said of the May 21-22 Far East meet at Yokota.

“To know my months and years of hard work mattered and paid off … to see pure hard work and belief in yourself come to fruition through your accomplishments is one of the greatest feelings in the world,” Jarzabek said.

That said, there were times during the season when Jarzabek said she experienced feelings that some coaches say confirms that running is the most honest sport – when the heart and mind compel you to go, while the body is screaming at you to stop.

“There were times in the off-season I felt unmotivated and tired, but I pushed through despite my own personal adversity and now, I can say it was all worth it, the work and sacrifices,” Jarzabek said.

Battling the early-spring chill, Korea’s notoriously poor air quality and constant gusty winds during Korea league meets, Jarzabek pressed ahead, going unbeaten six times in the 800, eight in the 1,600, six in the 3,200 and in all four relay races she ran.

Two races punctuated her season. On April 26 in the Korea championship meet, she ran the 1,600 in 5:03.27, breaking Williams’ mark of 5:05.97 set at the 2024 Far East.

“I knew I had it beaten in the last 200 meters; I was flying and had felt strong coming into the last lap,” Jarzabek said.

Then in the Far East meet on May 22, Jarzabek bulldozed another of Williams’ records, running 2:16.68 in the 800, topping the old mark of 2:17.98.

Entering the race, “I balanced the pressure from it being my last shot to break it,” Jarzabek said. “I knew my body was ready physically. I just had to work on my mindset coming into it, and it worked out.”

None of any of that came easy, Jarzabek said.

“It takes sacrifice,” she said. “It’s commitment and dedication, not just to your team, but to yourself, showing up at practice every day, even in the offseason when no one else is around. It takes being a part of something that’s bigger than yourself.”

It also takes about four to five hours a day of training, not just on the track, but studying film and getting ready mentally.

“I’m never truly ‘off,’ even when I’m not running,” Jarzabek said. “I’m recovering, fueling, resting, prepping my mind to compete, doing homework to keep up a high GPA for college.”

The Far East meet closed the Pacific chapter for Jarzabek, who will transfer to SHAPE High School in Mons, Belgium, where she’ll run for the Spartans next fall and spring. Prior to that, she’ll run in the Nike Outdoor Nationals meet June 19-22 at Eugene, Ore.

“I’m excited to race in an international circuit as well as staying within DODEA and conquer new records over there,” Jarzabek said. “Of course, it’s always sad to leave behind a place you’ve lived, and I’ll miss the camaraderie you get competing with athletes in the Pacific.”

Age: 16

Place of birth: Falls Church, Va.

Other sports: Swimming, cross country

Favorite subject: Advanced Placement World History

Least favorite subject: Math

Favorite athlete: Parker Valby, Kara Goucher, Olympic distance runners.