Four Arizona state track and field records broken in 1 hour

At the Arcadia Invitational, track and field runners Saira Prince, Tyler Mathews and Jayden Davis broke Arizona state high school records.

Over the course of an hour, the Arizona high school track and field record book was rewritten again and again and again and again.

Four state records were broken by runners at the Arcadia Invitational in Southern California on April 8, according to the Arizona Republic.

First Williams Field High School (Gilbert, Ariz.) runner Saira Prince won the 100-meter hurdles in 13.58 seconds. She cleared al 10 hurdles and broke the previous mark of 13.59, which was set in 2014.

Defending Div. I state champion Tyler Mathews of Red Mountain High School (Mesa, Ariz.) was the next Valley resident to break an Arizona record. He ran the 800-meter in 1:49.32, eclipsing the former record of 1:50.12. Mathews finished second in the race, falling to someone else with an Arizona connection: Newbury Park star Aaron Sahlman, who is committed to Northern Arizona University.

Mountain Pointe High School (Phoenix) senior Jayden Davis then broke the 400-meter record with a time of 46.45 seconds, besting the previous one by .02 seconds. He finished third in the race.

Davis told the Republic that he felt inspired after watching Prince and Mathews break records.

“Seeing all those Arizona athletes being able to do that, I definitely felt that time, that race at Arcadia was that moment to set the state record,” he said. “Going into it, I was like, ‘This is the time to do it.'”

Prince wasn’t done for the night. She finished the wild hour of Arizona racing in the 300-meter hurdles, winning with a time of 41.24 seconds that broke the previous state record of 41.38.

With that, Arizona runners left their mark on the prestigious California high school race over the course of 60 remarkable minutes.

Visit the Arizona Republic to read more about Saira Prince.

Read the profile on Jayden Davis here.

Meet the nominees for All-USA Today HSSA Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year

These 24 standouts will be honored as nominees for national Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year.

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards is pleased to announce the 2022 All-USA TODAY HSSA Girls Track & Field Team!

These 24 standouts will be honored as nominees for national Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. The winner and three finalists will be revealed on July 31 during an on-demand broadcast. This year will feature top athletes in 29 boys and girls sports awards categories as well as special honors like Special Olympics Athlete of the Year, Rising Star and Play of the Year. 

All national nominees must register to provide show information and receive important updates regarding the show. To register, click on the “REGISTER” button on the event website.

Here are the nominees…

2022 All-USA TODAY HSSA Girls Track & Field:

Zaya Akins

Raytown South High School (Missouri) — JR

Simone Ballard

Mayde Creek High School (Texas) — SR

Emma Callahan

Shenango High School (Pennsylvania) — SR

Natalie Cook

Flower Mound High School (Texas) — SR

Agur Dwol

Mullen High School (Colorado) — SR

Sadie Engelhardt

Ventura High School (California) — FR

McKenzie Fairchild

Andale High School (Kansas) — JR

Akala Garrett

Harding University High School (North Carolina) — JR

Emma Gates

Cascade High School (Oregon) — SR

Molly Haywood

Tomball Memorial High School (Texas) — JR

Adaejah Hodge

Alexander High School (Georgia) — SO

Micayah Holland

Montverde Academy (Florida) — JR

Shawnti Jackson

Wakefield High School (North Carolina) — JR

Alyssa Jones

Miami Southridge High School (Florida) — SR

Tiriah Kelley

Plano East High School (Texas) — SR

Gracelyn Leiseth

Hamlin High School (South Dakota) — JR

Yahnari Lyons

Jonesboro High School (Georgia) — JR

Amanda Moll

Capital High School (Washington) — JR

Hana Moll

Capital High School (Washington) — JR

Cheyla Scott

Butler High School (North Carolina) — JR

Emma Sralla

Lewisville Marcus High School (Texas) — JR

Kenna Stimmel

Margaretta High School (Ohio) — SR

Juliette Whittaker

Mount De Sales Academy (Maryland) — SR

Roisin Willis

Stevens Point Area Senior High School (Wisconsin) — SR

Oklahoma State signee Natalie Cook sets another record on the track

Oklahoma State track and field signee Natalie Cook has added her name to another place in the Texas record book.

Oklahoma State signee Natalie Cook has continued her track dominance.

With a 3,200-meter time of 9:52.45 at the UIL area-round meet on Thursday, the Flower Mound (Texas) star broke a state record for the true 3,200-meter race. She passed the previous record of 9:58.58 set by Brynn Brown (Denton Guyer) in 2021 by a full six seconds.

While that’s the record for a true 3,200-meter race, the Texas Track & Field Coaches Association converted true two-mile races into 3,200 times, so this race technically does not live at the top of the record book.

But no need for Cook to fret; she also holds the record for two-mile with a time of 9:41:05. According to the Dallas Morning-News, that two-mile time was set in March and recorded at 9:44:44 and converted to 9:41:05 for a 3,200-meter race.

Nationally, the 3,200-meter time set on Thursday ranks No. 4 in history. She was about four-and-a-half seconds shy of Katelyn Touhy’s 2018 time of 09:47.88

Cook also won the 1,600-meter race at the meet with a time of 4:45.86.

The senior has absolutely dominated this season. Over back-to-back weekends in December, she won the RunningLane Cross Country and Eastbay national championships, becoming the first girl to win both in the same year, according to Runner’s World. She was part of the 4x-mile relay that set a national record in March, and set the second-best 5K time of all time, according to MileSplit.

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After graduation, Cook will head to Oklahoma State. In an interview with USA TODAY after the Eastbay Championships, she commented on the coaching staff.

“They’re building a great team and I love Coach Dave (Smith) and Coach Anna (Boyert-Thorp) so much. … They want to win nationals and I want to be a part of it.”

NIL education, resource platform launched to help navigate recruitment process

With variance in NIL rules state-by-state, Eccker Sports launched a platform to provide information and resources to recruits, families and coaches.

Regardless of stance on whether college athletes should be allowed to profit off name, image and likeness, one facet of the NIL debate is largely agreed upon from both sides: There’s uncertainty in the rules that govern athletes’ allowances, rules that lack structure and vary for high school recruits from state to state.

As it currently stands across the country, there’s widespread variability, with seven states permitting athletes to profit off their name and likeness, 17 states considering changing bylaws and 26 states prohibiting it. The inconsistency adds extra difficulties in recruiting because athletes must know how signing a deal that guarantees college money could affect their high school eligibility.

In Texas, for instance, NIL deals are not allowed for high school athletes. And that restriction — and potentially its lack of clarity in Texas — played a role in the No. 1 football recruit in the class of 2022, Quinn Ewers, skipping his senior year of high school in favor of enrolling at Ohio State early and signing an NIL deal reportedly worth $1.4 million.

“I do think that there’s going to be some lawmakers at some point that are probably talking about it, but it’s going to take years,” said Vandegrift (Texas) High School head coach Drew Sanders. “…Parents want to make sure that they’re not doing anything that would get them in trouble eligibility-wise … This is all brand-new for everybody, so I have really zero experience with this. As a coach, I’m not really sure where to steer them to.”

Uncertainty in the immediate wake of sports legislation is nothing new, whether league-specific like the NFL’s concussion protocol or broad, widespread changes like Title IX.

Ten months since the passage of the NIL policy, the aftermath perhaps most closely mirrors that of the NCAA’s mid-1980s adoption of Prop 48, which mandated a minimum for high school grades and college entrance exams scores. Today, it’s a standard model. But when it was passed, it was controversial.

“It threw the entire market into a tailspin because it really changed the way the NCAA ruled on eligibility,” said Randy Eccker, a longtime figure in the sports digital media and technology landscape. “It completely changed the dynamic, but nobody took the time to go in and educate the high school market on what it meant to them and how to do it.”

While the implementation of Prop 48 lacked the resources for affected athletes, Eccker hopes to lead the charge in this next wave of sports ecosystem education. His platform Eccker Sports announced on Monday the launch of an educational services platform that will target high school students, coaches, teachers and administrators with resources including video curriculum, state-by-state information, tools for coaches to educate their communities and a network of legal, financial and tax experts.

The website is the exclusive high school partner of Game Plan, a platform with partnerships at the collegiate and professional level that provides learning resources, career planning and other developmental programs to athletes.

Pricing for the Eccker Sports resource hub varies state to state, Eccker said.

“Fast-forward even 10 years and this will be a normal part of the athletic landscape and the athletic education landscape, but today, when we’ve gone in and talked to coaches and administrators at the high school level, there’s a lot of fear and trepidation because it’s so new,” Eccker said.

The need for education on NIL is more expansive than finding a deal without affecting high school eligibility. Chuck Schmidt, Vice President and Executive Director of High School for Playfly Sports and the former COO of the Arizona Interscholastic Association, said that high schoolers whose parents’ jobs take them to different states might be unexpectedly affected. Tax obligations must be outlined for athletes. Athletes and families who see a chance for an influx of money but don’t know the laws could be exploited, whether by signing with someone who isn’t qualified, agreeing to have large percentages of money taken by the agent, or accidentally signing a deal to grant likeness to a brand in perpetuity without realizing the long-term implications.

Athletes’ rights took an enormous step forward with the passage of NIL allowances. Still, the lack of structure at a national level is creating confusion and potential long-term, unforeseen consequences. Eccker and Tim Prukop, the Chief Commercial Officer of the Eccker Sports resource hub, hope the new platform can help athletes and families build effective NIL strategies.

“NIL is just thrown around how great it is for kids to be able to do that, but there’s always something else that starts developing after decisions are made,” Schmidt said. “It’s an environment where every state has its own traditions, law, state law and that culture. Education … is going to be very critical to the success of what’s about to come.”

WATCH: Exclusive highlights from the 2021 Eastbay Cross Country Championships

The best moments from this year’s event

The Eastbay National Cross Country Championships took place in San Diego this past Saturday, with Flower Mound (Texas) High School senior Natalie Cook and Hartland High School (Fenton, Mich.) senior Riley Hough taking the tape in the girls and boys races, respectively.

It was another wonderful chapter in the event’s storied history and had plenty of must-see moments throughout the day—which, thanks to Eastbay Cross Country, you can watch below.

Natalie Cook, Riley Hough win 2021 Eastbay Cross Country Championships

Oklahoma State commit Natalie Cook and Michigan State commit Riley Hough won the 2021 Eastbay National Cross Country Championships.

As Flower Mound (Texas) High School senior Natalie Cook ran the final hill of the Eastbay National Cross Country Championships in San Diego on Saturday, she heard her dad yelling toward her that competitors were closing in.

Cook had dominated her last several races, but this wasn’t just a motivational push from her father; the competitors were nearing. In retrospect, Cook had been too aggressive on the first hill and was feeling the effects now.

She pushed herself forward and won with a time of 17:15.0, beating second-place finisher Angelina Perez by almost five seconds and ending her high school career at the top of the prestigious national race.

“I just had to give all I had left in me to try to finish it. It was hard but I’m really happy on how I finished,” Cook said. “The second loop was really hard and I gave it all I had in me. I’m really happy for my last cross country race.”

Photo: Bruce Wodder @ PhotoRun.net for East Bay Cross Country

The boys winner, Hartland High School (Fenton, Mich.) senior Riley Hough, had similar issues on that hill.

“Going up it the second time was, all of us in the front were basically so tired from it, we were like crawling up the hill,” he said.

Hough had observed patiently from behind the pack before slingshotting ahead on the downhill.

“This course is hard. I wanted to see what these people were going to do, because we’re all near each other’s skill level. Anyone can do almost anything,” Hough said.

He grabbed a lead on that downhill burst and would not relinquish it, winning with a time of 15:11.4.

Photo: Bruce Wodder @ PhotoRun.net for East Bay Cross Country

This ties a bow on a pair of dominant seasons from Hough and Cook. Hough won 15 5Ks with Hartland, a stretch that included a personal record of 14:37.1 in the Portage Cross Country Invitational in October.

He is now headed to Michigan State. Hough said that even after he narrowed down his top two schools to in-state MSU and Michigan, the choice was extremely difficult to make.

“It basically just came down to which team I liked more,” he said. “I ended up liking Michigan State a little more, I blended in with them a little more.”

Cook’s finish was a proclamation of her return from a navicular stress fracture in her foot. The injury cost her a year of running after her sophomore season, according to the Dallas News, but she bounced back this season by winning six of the seven 5Ks she participated in, including one in each of these last three weekends. Just one week before the Eastbay Championships, she set a personal record of 16:04.0.

Cook, who became the first Texas girls runner to win the national title, is Oklahoma State-bound.

“They’re building a great team and I love Coach Dave (Smith) and Coach Anna (Boyert-Thorp) so much,” Cook said. “They want to win nationals and I want to be a part of it.”

Here are the top 10 finishers for the boys and girls races:

Girls Eastbay Championship Results

  1. Natalie Cook, 17:15.0
  2. Angelina Perez, 17.19.7
  3. Jenna Mulhern, 17:20.8
  4. Karrie Baloga, 17:29.1
  5. Riley Stewart, 17:30.3
  6. Kate Peters, 17:34.0
  7. Sophia Kennedy: 17:34.7
  8. Mia Cochran: 17:35.1
  9. Sophia Nordenholz, 17:36.7
  10. Caroline Wells, 17:38.4

Full results here.

Boys Eastbay Championship Results

  1. Riley Hough, 15:11.4
  2. Kenan Pala, 15:14.8
  3. Gavin Sherry, 15:17.3
  4. Zane Bergen, 15:20.2
  5. Kole Mathison, 15:22.3
  6. Tyrone Gorze, 15:26.4
  7. Shane Brosnan, 15:27.9
  8. Izaiah Steury, 15:27.9
  9. Marco Langon, 15:28.1
  10. Emmanuel Sgouros, 15:29.4

Full results here.

Taylor Ewert named 2019-20 Gatorade National Girls Track and field Athlete of the Year

Taylor Ewert is more than just one in a million. Learn more about this year’s Gatorade National Girls Track and field Athlete of the Year.

To say that Taylor Ewert is one in a million downplays how extraordinary the track and field standout from Beavercreek High School (Ohio) truly is—and it took about 30 seconds chatting with the Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year to understand that.

An hour removed from getting a surprise she’ll never forget—when a seemingly simple interview turned into a celebration—Taylor found herself in territory alongside names like Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning and Abby Wambach. But the calm that resonated through the phone wasn’t what you’d expect, especially considering what she had just experienced:

“My mom said I had a casual interview with ESPN, so got on the Zoom call—I was doing the interview—and then all of a sudden, she was in the corner with the Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year trophy,” Taylor explained to USA Today Sports.

With the help of Taylor’s mom, Teri, the in-home presentation took on a feel-good moment that sometimes only the impromptu can create. Taylor laughed a bit, and then paused, when asked if the top secret operation went down without any hitches—”I’m not someone who is very big on surprises, she admitted, “I always know what’s going on, I always have a plan.”

In other words—mission: accomplished.

The honor came against a pinnacle of talent in girls track and field, with over one million student athletes in consideration. Of the 51 other finalists this year, seven were All-American honorees, 40 volunteered at multiple organizations, and 25 carried a 4.0 GPA (or higher!).

But Taylor topped them all, and now has an opportunity to win Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year in July. And when you look at the resume, there’s little doubt as to why she is in such prestigious company:

  • 3.49 GPA (weighted)
  • Won the 1600-meter run (4:52.02) and the 3200-meter run (10:34.79) at the 2020 Division 1 indoor state meet.
  • Named The Gatorade Ohio Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.
  • Won the two-mile event at the University of Kentucky High School Invitational in March (10:18.94), which ranked as the a top-3 performance among prep indoor competitors.
  • Clocked U.S. Top 10 prep times in three indoor events in 2020 and U.S. Top 20 in three outdoor events in 2019.
  • The state champion in the 3200 last spring, she also won the 2000-meter steeplechase at the 2019 New Balance Nationals Outdoor, while placing second in the mile and the 4×800 relay.
  • Personal-best time in the steeplechase ranks seventh in prep history, and she’s also ranked in the all-time Top 35 for the indoor two-mile and the all-time Top 50 in the outdoor mile among high school girls.
  • She holds seven national high school records in race-walking as well as seven American U20 records in that sport.

“Taylor is one of a kind and an absolute joy to coach,” her Beavercreek High School distance coach Howard Russ said in a statement. “The quality that really makes her different from other athletes is her attention to details. She’s the most driven athlete that I’ve ever coached.”

And her off-field achievements and efforts, which are equally important to the Gatorade Player of the Year program, are just as impressive.

Behind the record-setting athleticism is a talented artist, one with an eye for detail. “I’m always working on art, little projects,” she explained as her tone turned to an excited reflection. “It’s a nice break from the running and training.”

When she’s not busy with training—which is in full force as she gets ready to head to the University of Arkansas in August—or working in watercolors, Taylor has also made time for the community. She’s been an altar server at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Chapel for six years, supported the homeless through AFB Chapel Youth Group, and has served as an inspirational speaker. Plus, she teaches a mini-class on racewalking, even taking time during the interview to lend a little advice: “Stretch before, racewalking puts a lot of strain on your hamstrings. So get in a good stretch.”

(Noted. And, thank you.)

Before our conversation ended, we talked briefly about her family. Her mom and dad (Brian) both were runners, and her two brothers (Ben and Connor) are also accomplished track and field standouts. So, of course, I had to know: Who would win the steeplechase?

Although it didn’t seem set in stone, Taylor placed herself at third, with her brothers ahead—”I think my form is better than theirs,” she clarified—followed by her mom, and then dad trailing last. “But,”—she stopped for a moment, the way you’d expect someone who’s searching for some positivity to do—”as long as you’re breaking a sweat, and you’re enjoying yourself…I think at the end of the day, that’s what counts.”

She’s more like one in two million.

(Special thanks to Taylor Ewert and Jason Belenke (Gatorade Player of the Year Program) for the interview. To see past winners and learn more about the Gatorade Player of Year check out the website here.)

USA TODAY High School Sports Awards: Los Angeles girls cross country finalists

USA TODAY High School Sports Awards reveals its nominees for Los Angeles Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. The event is May 19, 2020.

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards are coming to Los Angeles.

On May 19, 2020, the top athletes from around the Los Angeles area will be honored at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus.

Here are the eight finalists for Los Angeles Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.

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Hana Catsimanes, San Clemente (Photo: Gene Leon-Guerrero/PrepCalTrack)

Hana Catsimanes

School: San Clemente
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: Catsimanes’ PR of 16:44.9 came at the Dana Hills Nike Invitational in September, and she continued to push the pace with first-place finishes at the Orange County Championships (17:02.8) and the Sea View League Finals (16:53.1).

(Photo: Chiara Caldarola via Pexels)

Maddie Coles

School: Claremont
Year
: Sophomore
Noteworthy: Coles built upon her sterling freshman season – second place in 17:44.8 at the state championship — to win the Crystal Springs Invitational with a 17:25 in October. Since then, she set her PR at 16:30 to win the Palomares League title.

Dalia Frias, Mira Costa (Photo: Bill Leung)

Dalia Frias

School: Mira Costa
Year
: Sophomore
Noteworthy: Frias announced herself when she finished in second with a 17:01.1 at the Sundown Showdown in September and followed up with a PR of 16:34.7 at Woodbridge.

Emma Hadley, Canyon (Photo: Heston Quan)

Emma Hadley

School: Canyon
Year
: Sophomore
Noteworthy: Hadley’s 18:18.5 at the Pat Hadley Memorial Invitational was good for first place. She returned atop the podium at the Century Conference League Finals with a 17:01.6 time, as well. In between, she set her PR of 16:49.9 at Woodbridge.

Madeleine Locher, Ventura (Photo: Jim Locher)

Madeleine Locher

School: Ventura
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: In a two-week stretch, the senior won the Ventura County Championship with a 17:43.0 and ran a new PR of 16:52 to win the Apache Invitational.

Amber Rios, Colony (Photo: Juan Ordaz)

Amber Rios

School: Colony
Year
: Junior
Noteworthy: After running a 16:59.3 in the Asics/Cool Breeze Invite, Rios dropped another 18 seconds off her time at Woodbridge to break the Colony school record.

(Photo: Chiara Caldarola via Pexels)

Savannah Scriven

School: Palos Verdes
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: Scriven got things going with a second-place finish at the 2019 ‘Iolani Cross Country Invitational at Kualoa Ranch before putting up her PR (16:28.9) at the Woodbridge HS Cross Country Classic.

Jill Walker, Simi Valley (Photo: Mike Kort)

Jill Walker

School: Simi Valley
Year
: Junior
Noteworthy: Walker went low at Woodbridge with a 16:49.7 and won the Coastal Canyon League Cross Championships with a time of 18:24.5.

For more information on the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards event in Los Angeles, visit sportsawardsla.com. Answers to frequently asked questions about the event can be found here.

USA TODAY High School Sports Awards: Dallas girls cross country finalists

USA TODAY High School Sports Awards reveals its nominees for Dallas Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. The event is May 15, 2020.

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards are coming to Dallas.

On May 15, 2020, the top athletes from around the Metroplex will be honored at Music Hall at Fair Park.

Here are the nine finalists for Dallas Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.

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Sadie Carey, Weatherford (Photo: Courtesy of Carey family)

Sadie Carey

School: Weatherford 
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: After claiming three first-place finishes – Paschal Invitational, The Reunion Run and Class 6A District 3 championship – Carey saved her personal record over 5,000 meters for the Class 6A state championship meet, where she ran 17:50.8 to finish sixth.

Natalie Cook, Flower Mound (Photo: Natalie Yook)

Natalie Cook

School: Flower Mound
Year
: Sophomore
Noteworthy: Few runners were as consistent as the sophomore who won the UIL 6A District 06 race at North Lakes Park.

Cameron Fawcett, Dallas Highland Park (Photo: Lady Scots Cross Country)

Cameron Fawcett

School: Highland Park
Year
: Junior
Noteworthy: The junior is a winner. From the Coppell Invitational to the UIL 5A District 11 Cross Country Championships, Fawcett won three times this season.

Jenna Holland, Southlake Carroll (Photo: Jessie McCabe)

Jenna Holland

School: Southlake Carroll
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: Holland posted a new PR for three miles at the Marcus I Invitational in August and closed the season with a 17:54.7 in the Class 6A state championship race that her Dragons won as a team.

Katherine McElaney, Southlake Carroll (Photo: Jessie McCabe)

Katherine McElaney

School: Southlake Carroll
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: McElaney brought veteran savvy to the Dragons as she placed fourth in the District 5 (17:56.9) for a new PR and then took ninth (18:00.8) at the Class 6A state meet.

Amy Morefield, Lovejoy (Photo: Jim McGuinness)

Amy Morefield

School: Lovejoy
Year: Freshman
Noteworthy: Morefield is off to a fast start. After upsetting three-time state champion London Culbreath from McKinney North at the Class 5A-District 10 meet with a time of 18:15.87 in mid-October, she finished third in the state meet with a time of 17:34.8.

Gracie Morris, Aledo (Photo: Mike Pinkerton)

Gracie Morris

School: Aledo
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: Morris, who is headed to Austin to compete for the Longhorns next fall, picked up a second-place finish (17:25.16) in the Class 5A race in Round Rock this month. She recorded a state runner-up finish in the 1600 her freshman year along with a fifth-place finish last year. She was second at state in the recently concluded cross country season, third as a sophomore, and fifth as a freshman.

Aubrey O’Connell, Prosper (Photo: Thao Nguyen)

Aubrey O’Connell

School: Prosper
Year
: Sophomore
Noteworthy: O’Connell took home the Class 6A girls state cross country title at Old Settlers Park and outdistanced runner-up Eva Jess by more than six seconds as the Prosper runner finished with a time of 17:05.95 to Jess’ 17:12.18.

Colleen Stegmann, Frisco Reedy (Photo: Tai Trieu)

Colleen Stegmann

School: Frisco Reedy
Year
: Junior
Noteworthy: Stegmann set a new school record when she ran 17:14 in October, won the District 9-5A title and clocked in at 17:17.03 to claim the UIL Class 5A individual title in November.

For more information on the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards Dallas, visit sportsawardsdallas.com. Answers to frequently asked questions about the event can be found here.

USA TODAY High School Sports Awards: Atlanta girls cross country finalists

USA TODAY High School Sports Awards reveals its nominees for Atlanta Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. The event is May 11, 2020.

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards are coming to Atlanta.

On May 11, 2020, top high school athletes from around the Atlanta area will be honored at Atlanta Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center.

Here are the eight finalists for Atlanta Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.

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Sarah Burwell, Walton (Photo: Walter Shaffer)

Sarah Burwell

School: Walton 
Year
: Junior
Noteworthy: After running 20:04 to finish second at the Darlington Cross Country Festival, Burwell bounded into the state meet and came in fourth at 19:31.4.

Madelynne Cadeau, South Forsyth (Photo: David McGregor)

Madelynne Cadeau

School: South Forsyth
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: Twice a winner in the fall – Darlington Cross Country Festival (19:26.9) and GHSA State Championship (18:46.4) – Cadeau proved to be one of the most consistent runners on any course.

Erin Fegans, Landmark Christian (Photo: Dan McCauley)

Erin Fegans

School: Landmark Christian
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: At the Alexander Asics Invitational, Fegans ran her PR of 17:40. Her most important race was her 19:11.83 run for the Class 1A Private state championship.

Hannah Miniutti, Blessed Trinity (Photo: Craig Wade)

Hannah Miniutti

School: Blessed Trinity
Year
: Junior
Noteworthy: No one had a better close to the season as Miniutti won her last three meets: region 7 (19:21.4), Class 4A state championship (18:51.49) and the Meet of Champions (18:03.1).

June Mwaniki, Marietta (Photo: Matt McNeil)

June Mwaniki

School: Marietta
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: The Blue Devil clocked in at 19:15.49 to claim second place in the GHSA Class 7A state championship concluded her in-state runs with an 18:34.5 at the Meet of Champions.

Kelly Ann Sutterfield, Blessed Trinity (Photo: Craig Wade)

Kelly Ann Sutterfield

School: Blessed Trinity
Year
: Sophomore
Noteworthy: She was the second part of Blessed Trinity’s 1-2 punch in the state meet. Her PR of 18:57.90 put her six seconds behind teammate Hannah Miniutti, who won the Class 4A state meet.

McKenna Trapheagan, Woodland (Photo: Paul Vaupel)

McKenna Trapheagan

School: Woodland
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: Trapheagen defended her Class 5A individual state title by finishing 40 seconds faster than she did in the 2018 state meet and more than 28 seconds ahead of the runner-up this time around the Carrolton course. She is on pace to be the valedictorian of her graduating class.

Morgan Vaden, St. Pius X (Photo: Rich von Biberstein / https://richvonb.smugmug.com)

Morgan Vaden

School: St. Pius X
Year
: Senior
Noteworthy: Vaden raced out early in the season to finish second (17:56.7) at Wingfoot XC Classic and closed out strong with a fourth-place finish in Class 4A in the GHSA meet.

For more information on the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards event in Atlanta, visit sportsawardsatlanta.com. Answers to frequently asked questions about the event can be found here.