These seven boys displayed outstanding improvement from the 2015 cross country season to the 2016 cross country season. More consideration was given to runners who rose to the upper level in the state (i.e. a runner who improved from 20:30 - 19:30 was given more weight than a runner who improved from 27:00 - 24:00).
Girls Most Improved Runner Of The Year: Ana Rhoten (N. Garrett)
Photo by John Roemer
Northern Garrett's Ana Rhoten kicked off her sophomore cross country season with a three-and-a-half improvement over her 2015 performance at the Interstate Classic. It would set the tone for her outstanding 2016 campaign. After not finishing higher than eighth place in any race her freshman season, she won four meets between September 13th and October 26th, and placed eighth at the Frank Keyser Invitational and fifth at the AMAC Championships.
She finished fifth - second on the team - at the 1A West Regionals, so it was quite a shock when she charged up The Dip at the state championships nearly half a minute ahead of the rest of the field. Rhoten surged all the way through the line, capturing quite an unexpected state title. After a freshman season where she finished 44th at the 1A state championships (and seventh on her team) it was truly a performance to cap off a season worthy of the title Most Improved Runner.
Morgan Casey (Montgomery Blair)
Photo by Debbi Persinger
The Blair girls broke out in a big way in 2016, largely on the shoulders of juniors Morgan Casey and Josephine Brane-Wright. Casey ran a personal best 18:58.40 at the Montgomery County Championships, two-and-a-half minutes quicker than her 2015 performance. Casey also went from 55th at the 4A West Regionals in 2015 to 14th at this season's 4A State Championships.
Cassandra Ferrante (Old Mill)
Photo by Chris Van Valkenburgh
As a sophomore in 2015 Ferrante ran 23:15.50 at the Anne Arundel County Championships, good for 38th place. In 2016? A huge personal best 5K of 20:26.50 and 18th place. She followed that up with a 12th-place effort at the 4A East Regionals and led Old Mill to their first team appearance at the state championships since 2006.
Emily McAllister (Snow Hill)
Photo by Brandon Miles
McAllister became one of the top runners on the Eastern Shore during her senior cross country season in 2016. She improved by nearly three minutes at the Bayside Championships, and shot up from 16th place in 2015 to second in 2016. She also won the 1A East Regionals before going on to finish eighth at the 1A State Championships.
Raaya Khleif (River Hill)
Photo by Melissa Rose
The River Hill girls were one of the best teams in Maryland in 2016 - coming within 17 points of knocking off Northern at the 3A State Championships - and Khleif's sophomore surge was a large part. After running in JV races as a freshman, she worked her way onto the varsity squad and finished in the top 12 at both the Howard County Championships and 3A East Regionals before placing 22nd at the state championships.
Ellen Sawitzki (Glenelg)
Photo by Ellen Sawitzki
The Glenelg girls finished eighth at the 3A State championships this season and were led by a number of much-improved runners. Sawitzki cut two-and-a-half minutes off her time at the Howard County Championships this season, and then finished higher at the state championships (42nd) than she did at last year's 3A East Regionals (45th).
Maddie Hurley (Broadneck)
Photo by John Roemer
As a freshman in 2015 Hurley finished ninth at the Anne Arundel County B/C Championships. This season she finished eighth - at the varsity championships. She then finished 26th at the 4A State Championships, running nearly four minutes faster on Hereford's course than she did at the Bull Run Invitational as a freshman.