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2010-02-09

2010-01-19

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Friday, November 27, 2009 10:00 AM

Photo by Elliot J. Sutherland/The Ottawa Herald

The 2009 Ottawa Herald all-area girls cross-country runners are front row (from left), Rebecka Ohlmeier, Wellsville High School; second row, Leah Yoder, Amanda Moody and Paige Porter, Anderson County High School; Taylor Slavens, Amanda Sharp and Natasha Rodriguez, West Franklin High School; back row, Erika Doty and Jena Richardson, Ottawa High School.

Top performers highlight all-area team

Consistent runners

By GREG MAST, Herald Sports Editor

The 2009 Ottawa Herald all-area girls cross-country team members were top runners on their teams and leagues.

All had solid campaigns and proved over time to be consistent performers.

The team members are:

Amanda Moody, Fr., Anderson County

Moody did not compete like a newcomer to the sport. She quickly established herself as the Bulldogs’ top runner this season.

Moody helped lead the Bulldogs to the Pioneer League title with a perfect score of 15.

The freshman finished second in the league race and 11th in the regional, one place away from qualifying for state as an individual.

Paige Porter, Soph., Anderson County

Porter gave Anderson County a nice one-two punch at the top in each race.

The sophomore was third in the Pioneer League race and 16th in the regional.

Leah Yoder, Fr., Anderson County

Yoder kept building throughout the season and gives Anderson County three top runners for the next couple of years.

The freshman was fifth in the league race and 31st in the regional.

Erika Doty, Fr., Ottawa

Doty made big strides this season after getting her feet wet as an eighth-grader in the Ottawa Middle School program.

Doty quickly became a varsity runner who could finish in medal contention in most races this past season.

The freshman finished 17th at the Frontier League meet and 33rd at the regional.

Jena Richardson, Sr., Ottawa

Richardson put together a sterling high school career. She was always in the hunt for a medal.

The senior did not let foot surgery slow her down during her senior campaign. She was the leader of a young and inexperienced Ottawa team.

Richardson finished 23rd at the league race and 24th at regional.

She is a three-time all-area selection.

Rebecka Ohlmeier, Fr., Wellsville

Ohlmeier is another young runner who quickly established herself as a top performer.

She was Wellsville’s top runner all season. She finished sixth in the Pioneer League race and 15th at regionals.

Natasha Rodriguez, Fr., West Franklin

Rodriguez came on strong toward the final half of the season. The freshman kept building upon her successes.

She finished 19th in the Flint Hills League race and 20th in the regional.

Amanda Sharp, Sr., West Franklin

Sharp ended her career with a solid senior season. She used her experience and talent to push for medal honors in each meet.

She finished 18th in the league race and 26th in the regional.

She is a three-time all-area selection.

Taylor Slavens, Soph., West Franklin

Slavens is on the verge of competing for state honors. She qualified for the second straight year for state. She is a consistent top-10 performer in the regular-season meets.

The sophomore finished sixth in the league race, eighth at regionals and 51st at state.

She is a two-time all-league and all-area selection.

Greg Mast can be reached at sports@ottawaherald.com