Whether on the track, the field or the court, local athletes did their best to make this spring one to remember for themselves, their schools and the area.

And schools from Murray and Whitfield counties represented well in all of those sports this spring. The highlights included: strong showings by several individuals at region and sectional track and field competition; region golf titles for Christian Heritage’s boys, Dalton’s boys and girls and North Murray’s boys; appearances in the state tennis tournaments by Christian Heritage’s boys and girls, Dalton’s boys and girls and North Murray’s boys; a return to the state girls soccer tournament for Dalton, the first state tournament victory for Christian Heritage’s girls and an impressive first year for Coahulla Creek’s Lady Colts.

Here’s a look at some of the athletes who made those accomplishments possible, The Daily Citizen’s 2012 All-Area Spring Team, as selected by the sports staff with input from area coaches:



Boys golf

• McLean Davies, Dalton: Davies wrapped up his senior season with another solid campaign on the course. An honorable mention all-area selection as a junior, he started out the schedule strong and hardly wavered from there. He finished with a 76.63 scoring average on the year for the Catamounts and was tied for the team’s low score at state with a 78 as his team finished fifth overall in Class 3A. His highlight of the year came with a par round of 72 at Barnsley Gardens during the North Georgia Invitational.

• Ryan Ensley, North Murray: Strong would be a mild word to describe the Mountaineers this year, and Ensley is one of three on his team to earn an all-area nod. North Murray made its first appearance at the Class 2A state tournament and claimed its first Region 7-2A title after back-to-back disappointments at the region tournament. An all-area honorable mention in 2011, Ensley had a 78 scoring average for the year, finishing with that same score in the Region 7-2A tournament at Fields Ferry and earning all-tournament honors at LaFayette and Northwest Whitfield’s regular season tournaments.

• Colby Hipp, North Murray: A repeat all-area selection, Hipp’s tournament average for the year was a smooth 77. He went a touch over that with a 78 at the Class 2A state tournament, but was second overall at the Region 7-2A tournament with a 2-over-par 74. Hipp, a junior, was also an all-tournament selection at the Tiger Invitational and the Nob North Invitational.

• Brandon Parrish, North Murray: The best of a great group of Mountaineers golfers, Parrish had a tournament average of 75 this year, finishing as the region’s low medalist after firing a 73 at Fields Ferry. He was seventh overall at the Class 2A state tournament, shooting a 77 at Waynesboro Country Club as the Mountaineers were fifth in the classification. A senior, Parrish was an all-tournament selection at the Tiger Invitational, Nob North Invitational and LaFayette Invitational.

• Patrick Sims, Dalton: Steady would be a good word to describe Sims, but he found another level at the Region 7-3A tournament at Big Canoe Golf Club. His par 72 round took medalist honors and pushed the Cats to another region title. Sims had been solid all season, with his highest tournament score an 80 at Apple Mountain. He finished up nicely with a 78 in the state tournament in Augusta and had a tournament average of 77 for the season.

• Sam Speights, Northwest: In the Bruins’ Nob North Invitational, the only tournament in which all of the area’s public school boys teams competed against each other, Speights took medalist honors. His 76 there was the highlight of his scoring this season, but he was undoubtably the best on the roster for the Bruins with a scoring average just over 81 in 11 18-hole tournaments. He also helped lead the Bruins to a second-place finish at the Fields Ferry Invitational, and the junior had the team’s low round at the Region 7-4A tournament as well.

• Cole Townsend, Christian Heritage: The junior will lead the Lions to the GHSA next season, and success should follow. He was the GISA Region 4-2A medalist with a 78 in tough conditions in Cherokee County while leading the Lions to the region title this spring, and he was even better at the state tournament on Jekyll Island. Townsend finished tied for second after shooting a 2-over-par 74 on the Pine Lakes course. He was selected to the GISA All-State team, and this is his second straight all-area selection.

• Honorable mention: Christian Heritage — Blake Carver, A.J. Hooper; Northwest — Silas Ledford, Trevor Goodman; Southeast — Ryan Collins, Eric Sosebee.



Girls golf

• Jocelyn Blair, North Murray: Just a sophomore, Blair could be one of the best female golfers to ever come out of the area when it’s all finished. She averaged 79.25 in tournament play this year, finishing fourth at the Class 2A state tournament and second at the Region 7-2A tournament. She was medalist at the Lady Conasauga Cup at Nob North with a 76. Blair played up to her competition as well, beating Darlington golfer and 2011 Class A state champion Hannah Mae Deems this season and taking two of three matches against 2012 Class 3A state champion Brendie Rockholt of Dalton.

• Megan Collins, Southeast Whitfield: Last year’s Region 7-3A medalist, Collins again advanced to the state tournament to cap off a junior year that saw her named to the all-area teams for three different sports. She was The Daily Citizen’s All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year and also earned a nod for all-area girls basketball. She moved straight into golf and earned all-state honorable mention selection from the Georgia High School Coaches Association after shooting an 81 at the Class 3A state tournament. She had a stroke average of 88 for the year.

• Paisley Puryear, Murray County: While Puryear wasn’t at the very top of the leaderboard this year, the Murray County senior was always near it. She had a nine-hole stroke average of 43 and helped Murray County make the Class 3A state tournament. She earned all-region honors for her play in the 7-3A championship at Indian Trace. At state, she had her best tournament score of the year with a 91 at Applewood.

• Honorable mention: Dalton — Angel Fouche, Ashleigh Peters, Mable McKone; North Murray — Tillie Hughes, Dara Dople; Northwest — Marlee Bingham; Southeast — Bethany Reddix.



Girls soccer

• Mollie Crawford, Christian Heritage: The sophomore defender did not light up the stat sheet, but that wasn’t her job. Her job was stopping attacks, and she consistently did so all season. Crawford also made the GISA All-Region 4-2A team and received GISA All-State honors for her performance this spring.

“(She played a) major role in contributing to our 0.83 goals against average,” Christian Heritage coach Adam Bolin said.

• Jeissy Fraire, Dalton: The senior midfielder recorded eight goals and four assists to help lead the Lady Catamounts to a 9-4-1 record and the GHSA Class 3A state playoffs, where they lost to Gainesville in the first round.

“Very strong at center mid, both in her offensive role and defensive,” Dalton coach Tony Carlson said. “Jeissy did much to control the tempo of the game. For this very reason she has been recruited by Point University. No doubt Jeissy was the nexus around which DHS’ success developed.”

• Deysi Garcia, Coahulla Creek: The freshman goalkeeper was a brick wall in the net. She made an area-high 166 saves and recorded four shutouts in 2012. She helped lead Coahulla Creek to the brink of making the Class 2A state playoffs before falling one win short and finishing 11-3-1 in the school’s first season.

“Deysi was an excellent goalie,” Coahulla Creek community coach Shannon Coley said. “We think she was the best female goalie in the area and the best in our region. The fact she is a freshman makes her even more special. Our record would not have been the same if it had not been for her excellent goalie play.”

• Rachel Gray, Christian Heritage: The senior midfielder led the Lady Lions with 10 goals while adding two assists. It was the final chapter to an impressive high school career that started when she was an eighth-grader and includes five selections to the all-region team and three to the all-state roster for the GISA.

“Overall, pretty much every game we played she was the best player on the field,” Bolin said. “She led by example on and off the field for our team. ... Without her, I think we still would’ve done well but not as much of the things we did.”

• Andrea Lopez, Southeast: The Lady Raiders sophomore midfielder recorded eight goals and five assists to help her team to a 6-6-1 finish. She earned the respect of her teammates and was named the team’s MVP for 2012 season despite missing a couple of games due to injury.

“That is a big honor for a sophomore,” Southeast coach Kevin Kettenring said. “But the leadership and work in training and her attitude, she just makes everyone around her so much better. That’s what you want from a center midfielder.”

• Rosa Moreno, Dalton: The junior goalkeeper also played a major role in the Lady Cats’ success in 2012. She faced 80 shots and saved 61 of them — 75 percent — one of the best rates in the area.

“There were some critical games, especially against Southeast, where she stepped up to make the critical saves,” Carlson said. “That made the difference in getting us where we needed to (be to reach the) postseason.”

• Regina Pacheco, Coahulla Creek: The area’s most prolific scorer, the Lady Colts’ freshman forward had 24 goals, including four hat tricks.

“Regina is truly a special player who has an ability to shoot the soccer ball with accuracy and power,” Coley said. “We relied heavily on her to be the majority of our offense, and she consistently fought off double- and triple-teams all season to find ways to score.”

• Jordan Suddath, Christian Heritage: As a freshman forward, Suddath made an impact for the Lady Lions. With nine goals and two assists, she earned GISA All-Region 4-2A honors for the second straight year. She helped lead the Lady Lions to a 9-3-1 record and the state quarterfinals.

“She got out there and in a lot of ways just outworked people,” Bolin said. “She had the never-say-die attitude, and I’m happy to have her around for three more years.”

• Karla Sinaloa, North Murray: The Lady Mountaineers’ senior forward spent her final high school season in unchartered territory. Usually Sinaloa plays the sweeper position on defense, but North Murray needed her to step up to the front and score goals. She responded with eight this year as the Lady Mountaineers finished a win shy of a .500 record.

“She’s played all around,” North Murray coach William Huggins said. “Her comfort position is on defense. She made the transition this year pretty easily. I think the girls relied on her to score goals. ... She’s naturally a phenomenal athlete. I think anywhere I put her (this) year she would help make us better.”

• Honorable mention: Christian Heritage — Sarah Massengale, Marah McEntyre; Coahulla Creek — Maria Rivera; Dalton — Jazmin Cervantes, Emma Cuevas, Ale Salaises; Murray County — Nayeli Jacobo, Kelsey Pack; North Murray — Lupe Miranda; Southeast — Diana Paramo.



Boys tennis

• Phillip McClure and Evan Townsend, Christian Heritage: The freshman doubles duo had an eye-opening season that took them all the way to the finals of the GISA’s individual state tournament, where they lost 6-4, 6-4 to Southwest Georgia Academy seniors Billy Grimsley and Adam Lowe, who repeated as champions.

The Region 4-2A doubles champions finished with a 16-1 record as a team — outside of the GISA, their competition was made up of several talented Tennessee programs — and each went 10-2 in singles play to help the Lions claim a runner-up team finish in Region 4-2A. This was Christian Heritage’s first season fielding a varsity boys tennis team, and Lions coach Laurie McEntire is no doubt happy to have McClure and Townsend — who earned GISA All-State honors — for three more years as the school makes its move to the GHSA.

• P.K. Bhatter, Dalton: The Cats punched their ticket for a 10th straight trip to the state tournament because of players like Bhatter, and the fact that he’s a junior is good news for Dalton. A flexible player who took the court in both doubles and singles this year, he compiled a 17-2 record, and he will obviously serve as a building block next spring when the Cats try to keep their string of postseason appearances going. He won’t be the only player the Cats look to in that effort, but with some of their top talent exiting via graduation, he’ll be one of the main ones.

• Hunter Carson, Dalton: The Cats senior ended an impressive high school career by being a very dependable option at No. 1 singles this year — his third at that spot — while compiling a 16-6 mark that ran his four-year record to 56-18. He helped lead the Cats to a runner-up finish in Sub-region 7A-3A, a third-place finish at the Region 7-3A tournament and another appearance in the state tournament — something Carson never missed in his time with the Cats.

• Chase Lynch, Coahulla Creek: The freshman helped his first-year program qualify for the region tournament by putting together a 9-3 record while holding down the No. 1 spot for the Colts. His good season, which included five victories against subregion or region foes, was accomplished despite a nagging shoulder injury, Colts coach David Friend said. While Friend is retiring and won’t be back as tennis coach next year, he’s leaving the next Colts leader an excellent keystone in Lynch, who also excels in the classroom, where he sports a 95 grade point average, Friend said.

• Drew Mosteller, North Murray: Despite missing the first four matches of the season — all non-region competition — while recovering from hand surgery, the junior showed he was ready to return at No. 1 singles by putting together an 8-2 record (6-0 against sub-region competition) that included a pair of victories at the Region 7-2A tournament at the Rome Tennis Center. There, the Mountaineers finished fourth, losing both of their second-day matches after winning in the opening round to qualify for the Class 2A state tournament a second straight year. But even on a tough day for the team, Mosteller showed why he was in the top spot, winning in the consolation match loss to Armuchee.

• Mitchell Wilson, Dalton: Another solid senior for the Cats, No. 2 doubles player Wilson — whose partners this season included Bhatter, Jacob Johnson and Efra Uscanga, showing his adaptability on the court — was undefeated in 15 matches to help Dalton to its strong finishes in sub-region and region play. Mitchell lost just one match as an upperclassman, and he compiled his perfect mark as a senior against a very tough schedule, because every team the Cats lost to during their 13-9 season advanced to the state tournament. Like teammate Carson, he’ll no doubt be missed by Dalton coach David Hilley, who recorded his 250th win at the school this season.

• Honorable mention: Christian Heritage — Devin Sanders; Coahulla Creek — Jake Mathis; Dalton — Will Alderman, Jacob Johnson, Efra Uscanga; Murray County — Noah Cleary; North Murray — Alex Ellis, Jacob Ledford, Mark Lents, Wesley Ross.



Girls tennis

• Gabbie Bordelon, Murray County: A freshman and the Lady Indians’ No. 2 singles player, Bordelon went 12-2 and showed a competitive fire that impressed Murray County coach Coulter Redding. He was also pleased with the progress she made this season while helping push her team to the brink of an appearance in the state tournament. Dalton was too much of a roadblock in that quest for the Lady Indians, but Redding will be happy to have Bordelon on hand as Murray County looks toward an even better 2012.

• Allison Jones, Murray County: Another underclassman who stood out for the Lady Indians, Jones peeled off 15 straight victories at No. 3 singles to start her sophomore season before falling in the Region 7-3A tournament. Called the “foundation of our team” by Redding because of her dependable nature, she wowed her coach with the turnaround she made from her freshman season by displaying better focus in trouble spots this year. Like Bordelon, she’ll be a major asset for the Lady Indians next spring.

• Erin Orem, Coahulla Creek: Several freshmen made an impact on the tennis court this spring, and the Lady Colts’ first season was highlighted by the play of Orem in her first year of high school. The No. 1 singles standout went 13-2, winning five matches against sub-region foes, and impressing her coaches with her competitive nature. Apparently, that drive isn’t completed saved for the court, either — Orem carried a 98 grade point average this year in the classroom. While the Lady Colts missed out on the region tournament this year, if they make it in 2013, Orem will no doubt be one reason why.

• Katie Quast, North Murray: The Lady Indians’ No. 1 singles player, Quast went 12-2 during the regular season and picked up a victory in the region tournament to help Murray County finish 13-2 this year. The Lady Indians played strong in their sub-region schedule and entered the Region 7-3A tournament with some momentum, but came up a win short of a state berth when Dalton avenged a loss from the regular season. Quast, a senior, was saluted by Redding for her knowledge of the game and ability to exploit opponents’ weaknesses, and he admitted her leadership will be missed next year.

• Lindsey Ray and Chandler Scott, North Murray: The upperclassman doubles duo — Ray was a junior, Scott a senior — went 9-2 this year and picked up a victory at the region tournament, where the Lady Mountaineers came up short of advancing to state. The Lady Mountaineers had several solid players, but none showed more consistency than this combo when it came to putting team points on the board. Ray’s return next season will be as part of a good senior class that could help North Murray’s girls get the breakthrough victory that extends their success to the state level.

• Caroline Tarpley, Christian Heritage: Just as Christian Heritage’s boys appear to have a solid foundation on the court thanks to young talent, the Lady Lions can build their confidence around Tarpley, who went 14-3 this year as a freshman and earned GISA All-State honors. And her only losses were to the 2011 Class 2A state champion — once during the season and again at the region tournament —and the eventual 2012 champion, a defeat that came in the semifinals of the GISA individual state tournament. Tarpley, who held down the No. 1 singles spot this year, was the first Lady Lion to advance that far, and that effort followed a runner-up finish at the region tourney.

• Anna Grace Wilson, Dalton: Playing a schedule nearly as tough as the one facing Dalton’s boys — every 2012 Lady Cats opponent but two qualified for the state tournament — Wilson led the way with 11 victories at No. 1 singles and won the clinching match to secure her team’s 10th straight appearance at state. And that clinching match was one of the more interesting contests for an area player this season. Rain delays pushed the first day of the Region 7-3A tournament late into the night, and when the lights shut down at Lakeshore Park, it meant Wilson, a freshman, had to come back early the next morning and win two points to finish a tight two-set victory against Murray County’s Jones. But she did, and the Lady Cats’ postseason success continued as a result.

• Honorable mention: Christian Heritage — Ann Kathryn Anglea, Katie Long, Ali McClure; North Murray — Hanna Abdelrazzaq, Chelsey Cochran, Bailli Douthitt.



Boys track and field

• Colter Creswell, Northwest: The Bruins’ proud pole vaulting tradition was carried on successfully by Creswel, who shook off injuries in the postseason and still produced good results in his senior campaign. At the Region 7-4A meet, Creswell won the title at 13 feet to secure a spot in sectionals, where he was seventh — good enough for a trip to the state meet, where his personal best of 14-0 secured a fifth-place medal and kept a string of good finishes in Jefferson going for the Bruins. Creswell’s effort in Jefferson marked the ninth time in 11 seasons Northwest has had a medalist at the boys state meet.

• Ethan Fromm, Dalton: The junior was saluted by Cats coaches with the team’s Ronnie McClurg Outstanding Sprinter honor this year after a spring that included runner-up finishes as an individual in the 400-meter dash and 300 hurdles, along with a second-place showing as part of the Cats’ 4x400 relay lineup. Also a standout defensive back for Dalton, he should give the Cats a good anchor not just for next year’s relay but the entire team as they look toward their 2012 prospects. The Cats definitely lost some speed to graduation, but the return of Fromm has to give coach Scott Thompson some peace of mind.

• Isaac Pacheco, North Murray: During the 2011-12 school year, his junior season, Pacheco left little doubt about his status as the area’s top distance runner. But even before this year, there was little doubt that he was the area’s most dedicated when it came to training. It has obviously paid off for him. Named The Daily Citizen’s All-Area Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year in the fall, Pacheco followed through with a big spring. He was first in the 1,600 and second in the 3,200 at the Region 7-2A meet, then took third in both events at sectionals to return to state for the second straight year. In Jefferson, he was fourth in the 3,200 and fifth in the 1,600, putting a solid finish on a great year.

• Jayro Perez, Southeast: A three-year letterman, Perez was the lone region champion this season for the Raiders, winning the 7-3A meet discus title with a throw of 127-1 1/2 to qualify for sectionals. Perez, who also competed in the shot put as a junior this year, was unable to break through to the state meet but will no doubt be part of the core group counted on to lead the Raiders next season. He’ll also be counted on by new Raiders football coach Sean Gray, who will look to him as an anchor on the end of the defensive line this fall.

• Cliff Phillips, Northwest: Bruins coach Greg Brown’s first season leading the program was simplified by the presence of Phillips, because he knew the senior was certain to give his best and likely to produce big points whenever it was time to compete. Until sectionals, Phillips lost just once in the 400 and only twice in the 200; he set school records in both events this spring, marking a time of 22.23 seconds in the 200 and 49.45 in the 400. He was also the anchor leg for the 4x400 team that set a school record at 3:23 this year. With strong finishes at region and sectionals, he qualified in all three events for the Class 4A state meet, but came up short of the finals in each case in Jefferson. However, it isn’t just Phillips’ speed that will be missed by the Bruins — Brown saluted him a leader and a “great representative of what a Northwest Whitfield athlete is supposed to be about.”

• Nathan Phillips, Murray County: While he was the anchor for the Indians’ 4x100 relay team, Phillips was at his best in an event that requires a combination of speed, agility and technique like few others. During the regular season, the senior finished in the top three every time he competed in either the 110 or 300 hurdles, taking the top spot in 16 of those 20 races — he was second in the 110 on two occasions and third in both events once. At the Region 7-3A meet, he was fourth in the 110, while his time of 39.55 seconds in the 300 set a new school record, won the region title and sent him on a path that ended with his first trip to state after a sixth-place finish at the Class 3A West sectional. In Jefferson, he stumbled in the preliminaries and didn’t advance to the finals, but he still put together a very dominant year in Northwest Georgia that shouldn’t be overlooked.

• Kelvis Rhodes, Dalton: One of the biggest surprises of the spring, the freshman won the Region 7-3A high jump championship at 6 feet — he said he dreamed of it the night before it happened — took third with a jump of 6-2 at the Class 3A West sectional meet in Carrollton and was the only member of a talented Cats roster to make this year’s state meet. He didn’t do as well as he or his coaches had hoped for in Jefferson, placing 11th, but that didn’t dampen the successful year for an athlete who had been competing in what became his signature event for just a few weeks when he qualified for state.

• Kevin Torres, Southeast: Torres competed in five events this season, his junior year, and the three-year letterman led all Raiders in points scored for 2012 — this despite missing a handful of meets because of illness or work. He was counted on by Southeast in the 100, 200 and both relays, but his specialty is the long jump. He finished third in that event at the Region 7-3A meet to qualify for sectionals, where he came up short of a trip to state, but along with teammate Jayro Perez, he should provide a solid base for next season’s plans.

• Honorable mention: Northwest — Chris Hull, Jalen Lockett, Kailend Wilkins; Southeast — Dandy Perez.



Girls track and field

• Carley Fetzer, Northwest: The Lady Bruins senior made her second straight trip to Albany, where she medaled for the first time with a seventh-place finish in the shot put. That followed up a sixth-place finish in the same event at sectionals and a runner-up finish at the Region 7-4A meet, where she was also fifth in the discus. Fetzer, who signed a basketball scholarship with Tennessee’s Cleveland Stae this spring, finished this year with a personal best shot put of 38-8 1/2.

• Bekah Houston, Dalton: A two-time selection as The Daily Citizen’s All-Area Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, Houston’s talent is such that she often trains with the boys so she can be pushed in practice. This spring, as she returned from a 2011 injury, she was a big contributor for the Lady Cats, taking first in the 800, third in the 3,200 and running a leg for the winning 4x400 relay lineup. She went on to finish fifth in the 800 and sixth in the 3,200 at sectionals, then medaled at state with her eighth-place finish in the 800. She was 13th in the 3,200 in Albany, but there’s little reason to think she won’t get a crack at big finishes in both events again next year as a senior.

• Caroline Norman, Dalton: The first Lady Cat to qualify for state in her specialty, the pole vault, Norman was fourth at the Region 7-3A meet when she set a new school record of 9-0, and she went on to an 8-0 vault at the Class 3A West sectional meet that was good for eighth place and a spot in Albany. There, she went 8-6 but came up short of a place on the medal stand. In addition to her pole vault success, Norman was part of Dalton’s 4x400 relay team that finished first in the region on the way to a runner-up team finish.

• Megan Pittman, North Murray: Pittman made great gains late in the season in discus competition, a major plus for the Lady Mountaineers’ future and not a bad effort at all for her 2012. She was fourth at the Region 7-2A meet in Chatsworth and took the same finish at the Class 2A West Sectional meet at Greater Atlanta Christian — albeit with a jump from 95-0 to 105-5 1/2. In Albany, she stretched her personal best to 108, but was ninth — one spot shy of a step on the medal stand.

• Wendy Perez, Southeast: A two-year letter winner and the only Lady Raider to qualify for state this season, the sophomore competed in four events this spring — she threw the shot and discus in addition to holding down a spot on both relay teams — and was Southeast’s most prolific scorer. But it was with the discus she excelled most, finishing third in Region 7-3A and qualifying for sectionals, where she took sixth to earn her first trip to Albany. Longtime coach Chad Brewer has moved from Southeast to Northwest, but the Lady Raiders’ new coach will get a valuable weapon in Perez.

• Gabrielle Rodgers, North Murray: The Region 7-2A champion in the long jump with a leap of 16-8 1/2, Rodgers went on to place sixth at sectionals and become one of the first Lady Mountaineers to earn a trip to the state meet. There, she turned in a personal best of 16-9 1/4 to take fourth and become the first North Murray girl to earn a medal in Albany. She’ll have her senior season of 2012 to push those marks even further, and the race to become the school’s first state champion is still open, too.

• Atianza Smith, Coahulla Creek: The first-year Lady Colts benefited from the presence of a first-year phenom. Smith, a freshman, was undefeated in the 100, long jump and triple jump during the regular season. Her success carried over to the postseason as well; she took second in both the 100 and long jump and third in the triple jump at the Region 7-2A meet, where she was also part of the 4x100 team that was one place shy of qualifying for sectionals. At the Class 2A West sectional meet, Smith was seventh in long jump and eighth in the 100 to become the school’s first representative in Albany, where she came up short of the finals but no doubt gained valuable experience for what could be a very impressive career three years from now.

• Shelby Wilson, Northwest: Continuing her role as Northwest’s most dependable supplier of points in the distance events, Wilson’s junior season included runner-up finishes in both the 800 and 1,600 at the Region 7-4A meet, as well as third-place showing in both of those events at sectionals. She made another trip to Albany after past success there as a two-time medalist in her freshman season. She added to that collection with a fifth-place finish in the 800, and might be primed for her best season yet in 2013.

• Honorable mention: Northwest — Brianna Coppock, McKinley Hopkins, Allie Mullins.