Gwinnett Daily Post

By Scott Smith

Senior Correspondent

DULUTH - Friday's rain may have created a soggy course, but that didn't slow down the Collins Hill girls.

Three Collins Hill runners finished in the top four while placing two others eighth and 12th respectively as the Eagles ran away from the competition to win the Gwinnett County cross country team title Saturday morning at River Green Park.

The win was the fifth straight county title for the Eagles and Saturday's 28-point total marked the first time they had scored under 30 points during that stretch.

Junior Amanda Winslow, who transferred to the Suwanee school from Ohio, easily won the individual title, setting a new personal best at 18 minutes, 17 seconds, well ahead of Parkview's Lindsey Ebert' who was second at 18:44.

"It makes me really excited about the season," Winslow said of her win. "Some of the girls behind me are on my team, so if they get close to me, that's a good thing, too. I've never been on a team that had so much to be excited about. We've got girls that can work together and help push each other. It's been a good experience for me."

Two of Winslow's teammates who helped push her in the race were Nicky Adande and Allyson McGinty. Both girls ran well as Adande was third at 18:48 and McGinty fourth at 18:55. Collins Hill's other two place finishers were Briana Crawford in eighth place at 19:25 and Katie Gezon in 12th at 19:47.

After the race's first mile, Winslow held a very narrow lead over the field. It was in the second mile that she made her move and, by the last mile, held a comfortable margin over Ebert.

Ebert's second-place finish, along with Caroline Ward's sixth-place finish at 19:16.18, was good enough to lead Parkview to a second-place finish at 77 points.

North Gwinnett, who was third with 95 points, also had two runners in the top 10 with Nicole DiMercurio finishing fifth at 19:14 while Laura Serres was seventh at 19:16.43.

Brookwood and Peachtree Ridge rounded out the top five with Brookwood, led by Carly Egan (19:29) in ninth place, finishing fourth with 116 points.

The Lions, paced by Sara Curry (19:33) in 10th place, were fifth with 130 points.

"We've been very blessed to have (Winslow), and we're very glad she chose to come to our school," Collins Hill head coach Andrew Hudson said. "She's fit right in and is a tremendous personality. The girls ran great today."

With six Gwinnett teams in the top-10 of the all-classification state rankings, Winslow was facing some of the best runners in the state and Saturday's race was the first time she was able to measure herself against such a talented field since coming to Georgia.

"In Ohio, I usually didn't see this kind of competition until region or state," Winslow said.

"It's really different running a lot of larger meets this early in the season. I think that should be helpful at region and state."

Girls Gwinnett County Cross Country Championships

Saturday in Duluth

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Collins Hill, 28

2. Parkview, 77

3. North, 95

4. Brookwood, 116

5. Peachtree Ridge, 130

6. Grayson, 162

7. Mill Creek, 184

8. Wesleyan, 229

9. Norcross, 252

10. Providence, 300

11. Shiloh, 316

12. Dacula, 324

13. Central, 372

14. Berkmar, 387

15. South, 417

TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS

1. Amanda Winslow, Collins Hill, 18:17

2. Lindsey Ebert, Parkview, 18:44

3. Nicky Akande, Collins Hill, 18:48

4. Allyson McGinty, Collins Hill, 18:55

5. Nicole DiMercurio, North, 19:14

6. Caroline Ward, Parkview, 19:16.18

7. Laura Serres, North, 19:16.43

8. Briana Crawford, Collins Hill, 19:25

9. Carly Egan, Brookwood, 19:29

10. Sara Curry, Peachtree Ridge, 19:33

TEAM-BY-TEAM STANDINGS

1. Collins Hill (28): 1. Amanda Winslow, 18:17; 3. Nicky Akande, 18:48; 4. Allyson McGinty, 18:55; 8. Briana Crawfor, 19:25; 12. Katie Gezon.

2. Parkview (77): 2. Lindsey Ebert, 18:44; 6. Caroline Ward, 19:16; 15. Shea Spicher, 20:02; 26. Kansas Bayly, 20:27; 28. Jocelyn Hamel

3. North (95): 5. Nicole DiMercurio, 19:14; 7. Laura Serres, 19:16; 13. Chelsea Peele, 19:49; 30. Meghan Riggin, 20:38; 40. Courtney Ragan, 21:25.

4. Brookwood (116): 9. Carly Egan, 19:29; 20. Roxanne DeMarco, 20:17; 22. Jenese Hornsby, 20:21; 32. Katherine Schofield, 20:49; 33. Jenna Pallansch, 21:10.

5. Peachtree Ridge (130): 10. Sara Curry, 19:33; 23. Heather Morris, 20:22; 24. Kelly Arsenault, 20:22; 36. Mary K. Gossett, 21:17; 37. Cassidy Toth, 21:18.

6. Grayson (162): 11. Abby Self, 19:42; 19. Brooke VanBa, 20:13; 31. Erika Simpson, 20:45; 45. Allie Wood, 21:37; 56. Becca Reid, 21:57.

7. Mill Creek (184): 17. Brit Westmoreland, 20:03; 25. Alicia Connolly, 20:25; 42. Megan Steinocher, 21:29; 49. Nicole Maza, 21:43; 51. Caitlin Austin, 21:45.

8. Wesleyan (229): 18. Erika Ramsey, 20:09. 21. Jane Strader, 20:20; 52. Kiersten White, 21:53; 65. Brooke McHale, 22:35; 73. Chelsea Michael, 23:09.

9. Norcross (252): 35. Meghan Feeney, 21:14; 44. Rebecca Winters, 21:37; 54. Molly Kirksey, 21:55; 57. Emily Molina, 21:57; 62. Elizabeth Perrault, 22:20.

10. Providence (300): 34. Allison Preg, 21:11; 59. M.K. Mills, 22:11; 64. Jordan Kelly, 22:34; 67. Sarah Sharpe, 22:45; 76. Katy Jordan, 23:13.

11. Shiloh (316): 27. Donve Coleman, 20:28; 58. Alesa Webber, 22:10, 68. Brittany Watts, 22:59; 75. Vanessa Vina, 23:12; 88. Laura Riquelme, 24:41.

12. Dacula (324): 53. Ellery Nash, 21:54; 60. Nina Kamber, 22:16; 63. Kristina Keeling, 22:30; 66. Chelsea Butcher, 22:37; 82. Heather Ausec, 24:17.

13. Central (372): 39. Ela Sehic, 21:25; 72. Taylor Frye, 23:05; 85. Dalila Toledo, 24:21; 87. Cassie Dillard, 24:30; 89. Vanessa Irie, 24:55.

14. Berkmar (387): 61. Penny Nguyen, 22:18; 74. Ana Espinoza, 23:09; 79. Janine Wallace, 23:19; 83. Amanda Dang, 24:17; 90. Josie Le, 25:00.

15. South (417): 50. Megan Willis, 21:44; 80. Crystal Pratt, 23:21; 94. Danielle Davis, 25:52; 96. Victoria Sorokina, 27:24; 97. Leah Wadkins, 27:25.

16. GAC (DNQ): Lauren Kestor, 19:55; Sophia Artusa, 20:43.