Girls Cross Country: All-Metro First Team

Sara Carter

Hereford, sophomore

•Turned in another strong season to help the Bulls repeat as Class3A state champion

•Took second in the state race to cap off a strong postseason

•Finished third in the Baltimore County title race and won the Class 3A North region to help Hereford win both easily

•Took sixth in the Elite division at the Bull Run Invitational at Hereford

Erin Causey

Hereford, sophomore

•Combined with Sara Carter to give the Bulls consistency at the top spots throughout the fall

•Finished second as Hereford won the Class3A North race

•Took fifth in the Class3A state race as the Bulls rolled to another team title

•Finished 11th in the tough Bull Run Invitational on her home course

Holly Cook

John Carroll, senior

•Finished her Patriots cross country career in style, going undefeated in the A Conference regular-season meets

•Came in second to Ellie Gonzalez at the IAAM championship meet

•Was third in the state private school meet

•Won the Knights Invite and took third in a race at the Disney Invitational in Florida

Ellie Gonzalez

Catholic, sophomore

•At a young age has blossomed into one of the state's top runners

•Won the IAAM championship this fall in dominant fashion, beating runner-up Holly Cook by 1:28 with a time of 17:59

•Also rolled to a win at the state private school championship by a margin of 1:34

•Will begin next fall as one of the best runners in the state in public or private school

Isabel Griffith

Dulaney, sophomore

•Coach Chad Boyle said she had one of the better seasons in the school's storied history

•Finished second in the Baltimore County championship as the Lions took second behind eventual state champion Hereford

•Won the Class 4A North region race, helping the Lions to that team title

•Took third in the Class 4A state race, helping the team finish fourth

Ashley Hayes

Severna Park, senior

•May have had her best season this fall, helping the Falcons to county and region titles

•Swept the Anne Arundel County and Class 4A East region championships, beating teammate Michelle Nelson both times

•Finished sixth in the Class 4A state meet as Severna Park ended up third overall

•Also won at the Bulldog Invitational meet

Tiffany Lang

Oakland Mills, senior

Battled injuries and health problems through her first 2 ½ years in high school but finally got completely healthy this fall, and it paid off

•Finished fifth in the Great American Festival in North Carolina competing against runners from throughout the East Coast

•Won the Howard County championship for the first time — the first Scorpions title for a girl — and captured the Class 2A South region title a week later

•Capped her season with a second-place finish at the state meet, finishing behind Runner of the Year Hannah Oneda

Michelle Nelson

Severna Park, senior

•Combined with Hayes to help the Falcons roll through Anne Arundel County and the region before taking third in the state

Remained consistent throughout the season, taking second in both the Anne Arundel County and Class 4A East Region championship races, behind Hayes each time

Finished 16th in the Class 4A state race as Severna Park took third overall

•Beat Hayes when finishing second in the Elite division of the Bull Run Invitational

Emily Ruppel

Loch Raven, senior

•Has been improving throughout her career and saved her best efforts for this fall

•Won the Baltimore County championship race, improving by more then a minute from her second-place time of 2010

•Followed that with an easy win in the Class 2A North region race

•Finished third at the state meet behind Oneda and Lang