By Michael Newman

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Here are the awards for the most improved Girls runners in each classification for the 2014 Cross Country season in Illinois. Congratulations to all the winners and to the runners that were considered.

3A Girls – Megan Beach, Palatine HS

There were so many runners that were considered for this award. It narrowed down to two student-athletes.

Charlotte Nawor (Highland Park HS) seemed to come out of nowhere this season finishing 21^st in this year’s 3A State Cross Country Meet. She started off this year finishing 26^th at the Hornet-Red Devil Invitational. Nawor finished 4^th at the Central Suburban League Championships and then qualified for the 3A state meet by finishing 9^th at the Schaumburg Sectional. The junior missed all of the 2013 cross country season and most of the 2014 track season due to an iron deficiency. As a freshman, she was the #2 runner on Highland Park’s varsity team at the Central Suburban League Meet.

Megan Beach (Palatine HS) made huge strides in the last year. In the 2013 Mid-Suburban League Championships, Beach was the fifth runner on Palatine’s Junior Varsity team. She was not one of the top 12 runners on the state roster. It was different this season. She was the second runner for Palatine when she finished 11^th at the Richard Spring Invitational I September. At the state meet, she was 26^th place just missing all-state honors by one place. She was the third runner on the team and one of the main reasons why Palatine finished second in the 3A Girls State Meet.

It was hard to decide between the two. In this case, the edge went to Beach.

Congratulations to Megan Beach as the 2014 DyeStat Illinois 3A Girls Most Improved Runner of the Year.

2A Girls – Emily Martin, Aurora Rosary HS

There were three runners that were considered for this award.

Delaney Appino (Boylan Catholic HS, Rockford) showed promise last season when she finished sixth as a freshman at the 2A Sterling Regional. She qualified last spring for the 800 at the state meet. She finished 14^th in the prelims of the event failing to qualify for the finals. She was the top runner for her team most of the season culminating with a 22^nd place finish in the 2A Girls State Meet.

Grace Oetting (Charleston HS) was the top runner for the Charleston team during the 2013 Cross Country Season. She finished 41^st to end her season at the 2A Decatur MacArthur Sectional. Oetting had a good outdoor season qualifying for the 2A 3200 Meter Run. She ran 11:23.49 to finish 12^th in the state finals. The Charleston senior made her mark finishing 2^nd at this year’s 2A Decatur MacArthur Sectional and then 10^th at the 2A State Cross Country Meet.

Emily Martin (Rosary HS, Aurora) perhaps came the furthest out of all three of the runners that were considered. Her top performance last cross country season is when she finished 13^th at the 2A Wheaton Academy Regional. She was part of her team’s 2A state 4x800 Meter Relay team that finished 10^th in the finals. She stepped up big at the end of this cross country season winning the Suburban Catholic Conference Meet, 3^rd at the Wheaton Academy Sectional, and then 11^th at the 2A State Cross Country Meet.

Congratulations to Emily Martin as the 2014 DyeStat Illinois 2A Girls Most Improved Runner of the Year.

1A Girls – Anna Tamborski, Petersburg PORTA HS

There was only one runner that was considered for this award.

Anna Tamborski (PORTA HS, Petersburg) came a long way this season to become one of the most elite 1A runners in the state. She was the fourth runner for PORTA as a freshman at the 2012 state cross country meet placing 100^th. She had setbacks her sophomore season missing all of the meets until sectionals with a stress fracture. She still came back to be the team’s third runner placing 107^th at the 2013 State Meet. She was injury free this cross country season. Her performances showed at the end of the year. The junior finished second behind teammate Maria Brauer at the 2A Elmwood Sectional. She followed that up a week later at Detweiller Park running 17:50 to finish 6^th at the 1A Girls State Meet.

Congratulations to Anna Tamborski as the 2014 DyeStat Illinois 1A Girls Most Improved Runner of the Year.