Glacier Peak runner honored
Published 11:20 pm Friday, January 15, 2010
It didn’t take Amy-Eloise Neale long to make a splash on the state high school cross country scene. Even Gatorade noticed.
Neale, a freshman distance runner at Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish, has been named the Gatorade Washington Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. The award was announced Thursday.
Neale is a finalist for the Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award which will be announced later this month.
In early November Neale placed first in the Class 3A state cross country championships at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. She completed the 3.1-mile (5,000-meter) course in 18 minutes, 8 seconds, 1 second faster than North Central freshman Katie Knight. Neale helped Glacier Peak place second behind Shadle Park in the team standings.
“She has a natural, innate talent,” Glacier Peak coach Dan Parker said in a prepared statement. “She’s big, strong, with great mechanics, but her biggest strength is her refusal to lose.”
Neale’s freshman season also included victories at the Nike Border Clash, the Stanford Invitational (Division 4 race) and the Silverwood Coaster Invitational. Neale finished fourth at the Nike Cross Nationals Northwest Regional championships and placed 14th at the Nike Cross Nationals Finals.
In addition to her athletic success, Neale maintains a 4.0 grade-point average, is a talented musician and does volunteer work for a local food bank.
