PHOENIX — It’s just another fall Thursday evening at Camelback High School. It’s 6 p.m., the sun is disappearing behind the hills off in the west as it sets for the night, and the campus is mostly quiet with most of the kids haven already gone home for the evening.

With Thursday being the day that Camelback football usually has shorter practices, the football field and track behind the school is mostly empty, with a few stragglers lingering around track.

Amongst those stragglers is freshman Anaya Roberts. Even though cross country practice ended a half hour ago, Roberts is still putting in work on the track. It is this attitude that, despite her freshman status, has already established her as one of the school's best runners, in both cross country, something in which this is her first year running, and track.

“It’s a lot more difficult than I’m used to, because of the distance and all,” Roberts said. “But it definitely helps with my mid-distance running for track, and for my agility.”

“Never, never ever,” Camelback cross country coach Joseph Dugan said on if he’s ever had a freshman runner be this good out of the gate. “We have had some really successful freshman, but none of them were breaking all-time Camelback varsity records like (Roberts) will.”

This season, Roberts will attempt to break many Camelback high school records, such as the 5k in cross country. During track season in the spring, she will attempt to break the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, triple jump, long jump, high jump and relay records.

“It’s definitely a lot more difficult than I’m used to. There’s a lot more training involved,” Roberts said. “You have got to get used to not winning every time. There are a lot faster people out there that have been training longer than you have.”

“She is usually the first one to practice and the last one to leave,” Dugan said. “She’s so competitive in everything she does, whether it’s the practice or the meets. It drives all of her teammates to step it up.”

“Even if there is no practice, she is still out there working out. She’s really dedicated,” Anaya’s sister Madysen Roberts said.

“I used to be a cheerleader, but I just couldn’t stand being on the sidelines and watching everyone else play,” (Anaya) Roberts said on her competitive nature.

Despite coming from a family full of athletes, it took Roberts until sixth grade to join the track team, which she credits her coach telling her she should after watching her play soccer.

Roberts plans on playing soccer for Camelback in the winter as she prepares for track in the spring and take aim at those records.