Sarah Rinehart
Liberty, senior
Rinehart has been a top distance runner in cross country and track throughout her Liberty career, but this fall she played a huge role in the Lions winning the Class 2A state championship.
She finished second in the state (18 minutes, 49.9 seconds) as the Lions beat Hereford by 20 points for the title. That came after Rinehart took second in Class 2A West and won the Carroll County championship.
Rinehart finished in the top three of Liberty's races throughout the fall. Coach Dan Jones said the staff nudged Rinehart this season to do bigger things — and the senior responded in a big way.
"This year, she became the outspoken leader of the team the way we thought she would," Jones said. "We got her to go a little faster … and clearly she had a great season. She's one of the more motivated kids I've ever seen."