Pinellas Runner of the Year: Luke P, Senior at Shorecrest
Biggest accomplishment: Luke was the leader on a team that included six seniors, many of whom started running in Middle School. That experience finally came through with the Chargers winning their first region title. They followed that up with a sixth-place finish at the Class A state meet, tops among area teams.
Best moment: In his sixth and final state meet, Luke had his highest finish, taking second in a personal-record 16 minutes, 2.55 seconds. He also took first at the North Port Invitational and in his division at the Flrunners.com meet, as well as the A-2 region race. But it was state where he performed best.
Did you know? Luke's parents are avid runners. He tagged along and ran his 1-mile fun run when he was 5. So consumed with road races, Luke put aside all other hobbies while growing up, including learning how to ride a bike. He said he still cannot confidently ride one.
Future plans: Luke is in contact with coaches from Brown, Columbia and Penn. He wants to continue to run well during track season this spring in order to land a spot at one of those Ivy League schools. During track season, Luke will run the 3,200 in some early meets to get his time down before concentrating on the 800 and 1,600, as well as the 4x400 and 4x800 relays.
Quotable:
"This season was all about the team. We went to Appalachian State for running camp. The team was comprised of six seniors. I'm so proud of how we brought it together for our first region title."
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Girls First Team: Olivia R, Junior at Shorecrest
After recovering from Hodgkin's lymphoma, Olivia took titles at the St. Petersburg City, Bay Conference and Class A-7 district meets. She was ninth at the state meet (19:33.91).
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Coach of the year: Jeff Raab, Shorecrest
Raab led the Chargers to a region title and a sixth-place finish in the Class A meet, tops among area teams.
Go Chargers!
Full Stories: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/crosscountrypreps/tampa-bay-times-all-tampa-bay-girls-cross-country-teams/2258065; http://www.tampabay.com/sports/crosscountrypreps/tampa-bay-times-all-tampa-bay-boys-cross-country-teams/2258242
