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Class of 2012

Lauren Blankenship, Wesleyan

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  • High School:

  • 2000, 2001, and 2002 Atlanta Track Club All Metro Team

  • 2000 and 2002 Gwinnett County Runner of the Year

  • 2000, 2001, and 2002 Gwinnett All County Team

  • 2002 Foot Locker Nationals Qualifier

  • 2000, 2001, and 2002 Individual Cross Country State Champion

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  • College:

  • described by Samford website as most decorated student-athlete in school history

  • 3 time Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Champion

  • 3 time OVC Cross Country Runner of the Year

  • 3 time NCAA National Meet qualifier

  • 2007 Cross Country All American

  • 4 time OVC Outdoor Champion in track-5k

  • 3 time NCAA National qualifier and 2 time All American in track-5k

  • 2 time OVC 10,000m champion

  • 2 time OVC indoor 3000m champion

  • 2 time OVC indoor 5000m champion

  • Samford school records in 5k (XC, indoor, and outdoor), 3000 (indoor and outdoor), Distance Medley Relay, 10,000m, 4 x 800m, 4 x 1500m

Girma Mecheso, Berkmar

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  • High School

  • 2006 Track:

  • State 3200 - 9:28 (3rd Place)

  • 2006 XC:

  • Gwinnett County Champion - 15:00

  • GA AAAAA State XC Champion - 15:01 (state course record)

  • Foot Locker South - 14:57 (4th Place)

  • Foot Locker Nationals - 15:34 (9th place/2nd team All-American)

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  • 2007 Track:

  • State 3200 - 9:13 (2nd)

  • State 1600 - 4:17 (4th)

  • Nike Outdoor Nationals - 2 mile - 8:56 (9th); 1 mile - 4:11

  • #3 GA All-time 3200 time - 8:53.38

  • #7 GA All-time 1600 time - 4:10.11

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  • College:

  • 7x All-America (4 times in cross country, 2x outdoor track, 1x indoor track),

  • 3 team NCAA Championships at Oklahoma State - 2009, 2010, 2012

  • 5th Place finish at 2012 NCAA XC Championships (1st team point)

  • 7th place finish at 2010 NCAA XC Championships

  • SEC XC Champion - 2008

  • Big 12 XC Champion - 2010

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  • 10,000 meter record holder at Auburn and Oklahoma State

  • XC All-Midwest Region Runner 3 years, XC All-South Region Runner 1 year

  • 2012 US Olympic Trials Qualifier (5,000 & 10,000 meters)

  • Current PRs - 10,000 meters - 28:16.97, 5,000 meters - 13:34.83, 3,000 meters - 8:04.04

Tomy Sitton, Brookwood, North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge

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  • Started the State Organization-The Track Cross Country Coaches of Georgia in 1995 that now oversees the Coaches Invitational at Ga. Tech in March, Ga. Milesplit, and the Hall of Fame Inductions.

    Started both the Gwinnett Co, Cross Country and Track & Field Banquets in 1993

    Coached 9 State Championship Teams and 6 State Runner-up Teams, Over 25 Gwinnett Team Championships, and over 10 Gwinnett County Team Runner-ups in cross country and track.

    Has been the MC at the State Cross Country State meet for 14 years at Carrollton

    Gwinnett County Cross Meet Director for over 18 Years.

    Started the Gwinnett County Hall of Fame Inductions in 2004

    Wrote the Proposal to ATC to fund individual awards for 6th place thru 8th place at the girl's and boy's state meets.

    Clinic Director for the Annual Georgia Track Clinic from 1999 to 2012.

    Started recognition of athletes on a weekly basis for Gwinnett County cross country in the 1990's

    USA Track Coach for the USA Chiba Eikeden team in 2005 that received the Bronze Medal and that set the American record that still stands.

    Started the Annual Region 8 then the Region 7 J.V. Track Championships.

    Coached 36 State Champions in his career.

    USA Coach for the World Championships in the Half Marathon in October of 2012 in Karvana, Bulgaria

    Serves on the Track Sectional Committee that now acts as the cross country and track advisory committee to GHSA.

    Coach Sitton's  1989 Brookwood Girl's Team were ranked #3 in the U.S. and # 1 in the Southeast in cross country. That team had two eventual Footlocker Nationalists on the same team in Marny Westphal and Anita Coverdale who won 16 State championships between them as individuals.

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