MDRUNNERS.COM First Team All-State 2006 Countdown: >

Nov 20, 2006

The 2006 Male and Female 'Runner-Up' of the Year for First Team All-State are listed below.

Girls 'Runner-Up' of the Year 2006
Kristen Malloy, Sophomore
Hereford
Championships: Baltimore County -- #1 | 2A State -- #3
Just as many all-state members secured their spots thanks to outstanding performances at the conclusion of the season, Kristen Malloy secures hers thanks to her performances earlier in the season. This year's all-state 'Runner-Up' of the Year now holds course records at Hereford High School (site of Bull Run Invitational and State Championships) and Blobs Park (site of Meade Autumn Classic) with phenomenal times of 18:40 and 17:46.49, respectively.

Malloy came into her sophomore cross country season fueled from a very sucessful freshman year that could easily label her a bubbling-under athlete. Malloy secured her first state title with an 11:18.65 in the 3200m at the conclusion of last year's indoor track season, but otherwise spent her first year in competitive running just behind the top runners in the state. Malloy's breakthrough came at the start of this year's cross country season, following in the footsteps of other stand-out athletes in cross country - athletes such as Tenke Zoltani (Dulaney), Karen Pulliam (Quince Orchard) and Lauren Centrowitz (Broadneck)

Malloy kicked-off her season with a sub-19:00 time at Barnhardt Invitational and did not go above that mark at any invitational or championship meet for the rest of the season until the state final. Fueled by an undefeated and unchallenged season, Malloy was perfectly set to break her own record and stop Atholton's Alison Smith from winning a third state title, but failed to do so - finishing third in 20:06. Despite the evident burn-out the athlete suffered, her incredible performances set her apart as this season's Runner-Up of the Year.

FIRST-TEAM ALL STATE	Runner of the Year	"Runner-Up" of the Year	No. 3	No. 4	No. 5	No. 6	No. 7
Athlete	???	Kristen Malloy, Sophomore Hereford	Marika Walker, Senior Eleanor Roosevelt	Katie Hursey, Senior North Carroll	Morgane Gay, Junior Walt Whitman	Elizabeth McCarter, Senior Mount Hebron	Cara Harrison, Senior Quince Orchard
Revealed:	Tuesday November 21

Boy's 'Runner-Up' of the Year 2006

Robert Wetzel, Senior
Archibishop Spalding
Championships: MIAA -- #1 | MD/DC Private -- #2
Robert Wetzel made his rise to the top similarly to the way many before him have - a steady foundation laid out during 9th and 10th grade to lead way to a strong junior year competing at the same level as many graduating seniors, in turn propelling a larger-than-life senior season. Robert Wetzel got the state's attention earlier in the season and hung on until the end.

Wetzel's junior year indoor and outdoor track campaigns foreshadowed the success he found this season. He grabbed MIAA 3200m crowns in both indoor and outdoor track, improving on his second place finish at MIAA's cross country final.

Wetzel's realization as one of the state's best came on September 9 at the Barnhardt Invitational - where he won against a deep field of competitors in a time 15:48.5, also his first sub-16:00 time. He built on this success with another sub-16 time at the Knights Invitational, losing there only to Matthew Centrowitz.

These two early season performances were just the prelude to the greatest achievement of Wetzel's cross country career, and also the biggest mark he leaves behind - his win at the Bull Run Invitational. His time there of 16:03 is incredible on several counts - the mark is just three seconds short of the course record and is only one second slower than state champion Matthew Centrowitz's time at this year's public schools state final. The time was 20 seconds faster than All-State No. 3 pick Andrew Revelle (Atholton) and equal to that run at the same meet by Steven Duplinsky (Georgetown Prep) one year prior. Clearly, this run was no small feat for Wetzel. Wetzel rounded off his season with a win at the MIAA Championships, and a second place finish at the MD/DC Private Schools Championships, losing only to D.C.'s Nick Bax.

FIRST-TEAM ALL STATE	Runner of the Year	"Runner-Up" of the Year	No. 3	No. 4	No. 5	No. 6	No. 7
Athlete	???	Robert Wetzel, Senior Archibishop Spalding	Andrew Revelle, Senior Atholton	Erik Anderson, Senior Archibishop Curley	Christopher Moen, Junior Walter Johnson	Dwight Parker, Senior Woodlawn	Kelli Thibou, Senior Eleanor Roosevelt
Revealed:	Tuesday November 21