Madeline Dulac, McDonogh
Dulac had been stuck in the shadows of flashier McDonogh teammates the past few years. But this fall was her time to shine.
The senior stepped into the spotlight with her best performance, which came when the Eagles won the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship. Dulac took charge of the race early, running away from two-time defending champion Elizabeth Tauber (John Carroll) and Ellie Gonzalez (Catholic).
Dulac turned the race into a rout, beating Gonzalez by 24 seconds and Tauber by 42 on a cool afternoon at Oregon Ridge Park. That helped McDonogh edge Archbishop Spalding by five points for the title.
"I knew I needed to break away from the pack," she said that day. "I had to start making my move real early."
This was much more fun than last year when she was trying to get back to full speed after dealing with swine flu. But Dulac left no doubt that she was tops in the IAAM this season. She has also been one of the area's top distance runners in track the past few years, something that should remain the same this year.