Hilton Cross Country team comes home first in the nation

The team poses at the school with Coach Mike Szczepanik, who has been also recognized as Monroe County Section V Coach of the Year. Front from left, Shelby Herman, Caileen Childs, Ashley Jones; rear from left, Erin Pratt, Nicole Griffiths, Allison Sawyer, Caroline Schultz and Amanda Griggs. Griggs competed with injuries yet came in 12th in the finals and arrived home on crutches. Strained ligaments in her left foot won’t keep her from running track in the spring, she said. Submitted photo.

The Hilton Girls Cross Country Team got a hearty welcome home from the west coast Sunday night, December 4. Above, part of the airport crowd bearing congratulatory signs awaiting the arrival of the national champions. Photograph by Walter Horylev.

Hilton Cross Country team comes home first in the nation

Seven runners for Hilton competed in the Nike Team National Cross Country Tournament December 3 in Portland, Oregon and brought home a national championship.

Allison Sawyer, Amanda Griggs, Caroline Schultz, Shelby Herman, Ashley Jones, Caileen Childs and Erin Pratt scored 85 team points to defeat top-seeded Saratoga Springs, second with 112 (the lower the number, the faster times).

Sawyer was the top runner for the Cadets and 12th overall as she finished the 5K course in 20:21. Griggs was 12th in 20:35, Schultz 13th in 20:38, Herman 19th in 20:56, Jones 33rd in 21:12, Childs 127th in 23:17 and Pratt 140th in 27 minutes flat. Teammate Nicole Griffiths sat out the final event due to lack of medical clearance.

According to the press release, the event “pitted the fastest men’s and women’s cross country teams in the country. Teams were selected on the basis of regional rankings, which are derived from a combination of competition performances at USA Track & Field events, affiliate high school competitions, and other non-sanctioned events. The top two men’s teams and the top two women’s teams from each region (Northeast, Southeast, South, Midwest, Heartland, Southwest, Northwest and California), plus four at-large selections each for men and women made up the 20-team fields.”

The team received an all-expenses paid trip to the west coast. Upon their return, more than 100 people met them at the airport along with local media. “We had a parade in the school. The girls walked through the halls followed by our marching band and all the other students lined the halls cheering for them,” said assistant coach Scott Blodgett.

Prior to nationals the team won their second consecutive Section Five title and Mike Szczepanik was named Monroe County Section Five Coach of the Year.