Girls Cross Country

RUNNER OF THE YEAR

photo HALEY WARD

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

photo DAVE MILLER

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

photo Haley Chandler

Haley Chandler

BAYLOR

- Junior

- She ran a seasonbest 19:22.50 at Jesse Owens and finished 10th at the Division IIAA state meet.

photo Beka Day

Beka Day

CLEVELAND

- Junior

- She finished second in the Front Runner City Championships and was third in the Region 3- AAA meet.

photo Madalyn Garland

Madalyn Garland

RHEA COUNTY

- Junior

- She finished fourth in the Front Runner City Championships and was second in the Region 3-AAA meet.

photo Sarah Kate Gartman

Sarah Kate Gartman

HOME SCHOOL

- Sophomore

- She finished third in the National Home School Championships and fifth in the Front Runner City meet.

photo Natalie Espinoza-Hensley

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.

photo Bekah Houston

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

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