Published November 6, 2009
By Erica Singleton
South Charlotte Weekly
For the third consecutive year, the Charlotte Latin girls cross country team won both conference and state championships.
On Oct. 30, led by junior Haylee Dawe, four Charlotte Latin runners finished among the top 10 as the Hawks sprinted to the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A title at Greensboro’s Hagen Stone Park.
Charlotte Latin finished with a team score of 46, comfortably beating Providence Day (67) and Raleigh Ravenscroft (90).
“Providence Day has always pushed us,” Charlotte Latin coach Mike Weiss said. “This year, we also had to contend with Ravenscroft. They’ve got the best (runner) in the state, and a talented group behind her. We had two great teams challenging us, and we knew everyone had to do their part for us to win again.”
The NCISAA title came on the heels of the Hawks’ third consecutive Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association championship victory days earlier.
Dawe, who finished first for the Hawks in all but one race this season, came in second place at the state meet with a time of 18 minutes, 49 seconds – a full 30 seconds ahead of the next runner. Freshman Hannah Smith finished sixth in 19:58, making a strong contribution to the Hawks in her first season.
“Hannah had never run distance before,” explained Weiss. “She proved capable in the first few meets (this season), and then one day she just found another gear and ran a sub-21-(minute race).
After that, she just got better as the season went on, consistently running under 20 minutes.”
Returning from last year’s state championship squad, juniors Ally Finical (20:04) and Kameron Spence (20:05) finished eighth and ninth, respectively.
Another key performer for the Hawks was senior Farrell Murphy, who clocked in at a personal-best time of 20:56 and finished 21st.
“We talked before the race, and I told (Murphy), even though she finished No. 6 (on the team) in conference, we needed her to step up to No. 5,” Weiss said of Murphy, who also ran cross country for the first time.
“She was a vital contribution (to the team). She set a personal record by 30 seconds and gave us a comfortable margin of victory.”
Weiss said freshman Laura Gill also played a key role on the team this season.
With only one senior on the 2009 roster, Weiss is optimistic about the future.
“We have a young team still,” he said. “I’m hoping for more great things to come from them. But I hope they take time to savor what they’ve accomplished.”
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