Olivia Johnson and Nick Hall were named Outstanding Runners for girls and boys cross-country team at the team’s awards potluck Thursday, Nov. 12.
Johnson, who placed seventh in the state 4A meet after winning the Val-Co district title, led the girls to their second district championship in three years, defeating rival Philomath on its own course.
“That was the best district meet we’ve ever had,” Coach Billy Snow said, noting that Hall also took the district title, as a sophomore.
Hall finished 15th in the state meet, pacing the Huskies to a 10th-place finish.
Snow acknowledged that injuries were a problem for Sweet Home this year, but said the large turnout at the beginning of the season helped as some leading runners went down.
“This was a huge team compared to years past,” he said.
He commended the runners on the team who put in miles of individual training during the summer.
“Cross-country runners are made in the summer, not the fall,” he said.
Other award-winners were voted on by the athletes, whose recommendations usually stand, Snow said.
The Iron Man award, given to runners who don’t miss a practice during the season, went to senior Byron Sanders, juniors Kyle Hummer and Carissa Swanson, and freshman Daniel Danforth.
The Will to Win award, which Snow said recognizes runners who prepare daily and “who you know, when they get to the starting line they’re going to give 100 percent,” went to Caroline Amendola and Swanson, along with Sanders.
Danforth, who finished fourth for the Huskies in the state meet, and fellow freshman Paige Sanders, were named Rookie Runners of the Year.
Swanson and Mitchell Garcia were voted Most Inspirational Runners by their teammates. Garcia, a sophomore, cut more than three minutes off his personal best time for the 5,000-meter distance over the course of the season.
Most Improved Runners were:
senior Chris Thompson, who moved from the junior varsity last year after improving his times from last year by about a minute;
senior Jake Comstock, who started the season having just gotten out of a cast from a broken ankle, and then overcame other injuries to finish third for the Huskies at state and improving his 5,000-meter time by a minute and a half from the start to the end of this season;
sophomore Anson Davis, who improved his time in every race this season by 15 percent over comparable races last season and became a solid pack runner for the junior varsity squad;
Amendola, a junior who improved her time in the 5,000 meters by 2 1/2 minutes from last season and became a solid number three runner for the Huskies in winning the district title; and
sophomore Liz Egbert, who in her first year of cross-country finished third in the Val-Co JV district race and cut some 90 seconds off her time in the 5,000 over the course of four races this season.
First-year varsity letters went to Daniel Danforth, Connor Cunha, Lorenzo Virgen, Jessica Snow, Kyle Hummer, David Rinehart, Paige Sanders and Avery Shamek.
Second-year varsity letters went to Chris Thompson, Natasha Perry, Casey Keys, Nick Hall, Caroline Amendola and Jake Comstock.
Third-year varsity letters went to Olivia Johnson, Jenna Kistner, Byron Sanders and Carissa Swanson.
Jill Mahler was the only four-year varsity letter winner this year.
Junior varsity certificates went to Taylar Rodgers, Erin Rose, Anson Davis, Joe Stroud, Kimber Swanson, Mitchell Garcia, Brett King, Jacob Miner and James Myers.