RUNNER OF THE YEAR
HALEY WARD
Trying to juggle cross country and soccer, McMinn County junior Haley Ward wasn't even sure she was going to be able to do both sports in the postseason. A district-semifinal loss in soccer opened her schedule, however, and she ran to the Region 3-AAA and Class AAA state titles. Her time of 18:41.47 in the state meet was the best recorded by any girl that day at Percy Warner Park in Nashville.
"It's always been my goal to have a banner raised up into the rafters," Ward said of the McMinn custom of hanging banners for state champions in the gymnasium. "I realized that I was going to have the opportunity to win [state] late in the race, and I told myself, 'It's now or never,' and I just gave it everything I had the rest of the way."
COACH OF THE YEAR
DAVE MILLER
For a first season as a head coach at Chattanooga Christian, Miller's could not have gone much better. He took over for longtime Lady Chargers leader Mike Fingerle and guided his girls to the Class A/AA state championship - the school's first since 2000. They lose only one senior. "The girls deserve all of the credit," he said. "After the Region 4 meet, we had looked at team scores from other region races and realized that we had a chance. This was just a fun-loving group of girls that came together to be a team, and they were very talented as well."
FIRST TEAM
Haley Chandler
BAYLOR
- Junior
- She ran a seasonbest 19:22.50 at Jesse Owens and finished 10th at the Division IIAA state meet.
Beka Day
CLEVELAND
- Junior
- She finished second in the Front Runner City Championships and was third in the Region 3- AAA meet.
Madalyn Garland
RHEA COUNTY
- Junior
- She finished fourth in the Front Runner City Championships and was second in the Region 3-AAA meet.
Sarah Kate Gartman
HOME SCHOOL
- Sophomore
- She finished third in the National Home School Championships and fifth in the Front Runner City meet.
Natalie Espinoza-Hensley
HERITAGE
- Junior
- She won the Georgia Region 6-AAA race and was ninth in the state, leading the Lady Generals to the title.
Bekah Houston
DALTON
- Junior
- She finished third in the Georgia Region 6-AAA meet and was 14th in the state meet.
SECOND TEAM
CATHERINE ELLIS Home School Senior
MALLORY EDWARDS Heritage Sophomore
SARAH HOFFMAN Chattanooga Christian Sophomore
CAMILLA LOGGINS Gordon Lee Senior
RUTHIE TOWNSEND Baylor Junior
CHLOE WOODS Baylor Junior
THIRD TEAM
MEGAN BERNARD Chattanooga Christian Freshman
CAITLIN CRAFT Heritage Freshman
KACY ROBERSON Soddy-Daisy Sophomore
MEG SABOURIN Chattanooga Christian Senior
KARLA VRADENBURGH Home School Sophomore
LUCY WHITFIELD GPS Sophomore