Girls Elite Race
Traveling from Alabama to Boise, Idaho can not be an easy trip. Flying half way across the country, changing time zones and being in a state that is a bit different from your own isn't an ideal set up to win races in. However, the Mountain Brook (AL) team accomplished so much Saturday. Placing their top five girls in the top 26 spots, Mountain Brook ran away from the competition, taking home the team title over Davis, UT 64-80.
Leading the charge for Mountain Brook, junior Madeline Morgan and freshman Marie Demedicis finished third and fifth overall, giving Moutain Brook the top 1-2 combination of the day with Davis. However, Mountain Brook's 3-5 girls won the race for them. Going 12, 23, 24 in the team points, Mountain Brook outmatched every other team in the 3-5 positions. Strong runners up front, plus a 1:07 spread from 1-5, Mountain Brook showed they are one of the best teams nationally.
While a great team race was taking place, individually a strong foursome of girls were fighting for top billing. Nicole Nielsen (Jr., Boise, ID), Hailey Knettles (Sr., Judge Memorial, UT), Madeline Morgan (Jr., Mountain Brook, AL) and Natalie Hawes (Sr., Davis, UT) each broke 18:30 over the 5k course, with Nielsen pulling away in the final 800m to take home the crown in 18:19. Nielsen's performance surprised some, but running with a mission of winning and wanting to win the title for her school and state kept her focused. Knettles moved up to second, outleaning Morgan at the line, both runners finishing in 18:25. Knettles nearly pulled off the Judge Memorial double, with boys teammate Luke Puskedra winning the boys race. Candace Eddy (Jr., Davis, UT), the early race favorite, finished in fifth.