Creekview Student Named Cross Country Runner Of The Year

From GA Track Club: Makena Gates, a freshman at Creekview High School, was honored with the Ray Buckley Award for Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year Tuesday night. Gates received the top honors at the 2017 All Metro Cross Country Banquet hosted by Atlanta Track Club at the Stave Room in midtown Atlanta.

“I just went out there, had fun and tried to do my best,” said 6A State Champion Gates. “Next year, I just want to improve and try to not get injured. I want to contine to get better.” Along with being named Runner of the Year, Gates was also named to the All Metro Girls’ 1 st Team and received a $500 scholarship from the Atlanta Track Club Foundation. Sam Bowers, a senior at Milton High School was named Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Fellow Creekview runner Nyah Hernandez, was named to the All Metro Girls’ 2 nd Team along with Woodstock High School’s Anna Burnett. In all, 42 Atlanta-area cross country runners were honored at the banquet with 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd team designations being decided by votes from the public and metro-area coaches.

“I look back fondly on my high school cross country days,” said Carrie Tollefson, the evening’s guest host who competed in the 1500 in the 2004 Olympic Games and is now one of the most prominent track & field and road running broadcasters in the United States. “It was an amazing and fulfilling experience for me to see how running has positively impacted the lives of these young athletes and hear how it will continue to be a part of their futures.”

Nine coaches were honored for coaching state championship teams with Jimmy Sorrells of Flowery Brand High School receiving the Paul Koshewa Coaches Dedication Award for girls coaches and Jack Coleman of Marietta High School winning the Jerry Frasier Coaches Dedication Award for boys coaches. Emily Enriquez (Borsare) (McIntosh’07), Robert Medcalf (Parkview ’82) and Amy Eubanks (Westminster, Coach) were inducted into the Georgia Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Together, the All Metro honorees represented 10 counties and 28 schools. The All Metro Cross Country Banquet is Atlanta Track Club’s oldest event, occurring every year since the Club’s founding in 1964. Below are the honorees. Bios can be found at Atlanta Track Club’s website and ga.milesplit.com.

Images via Atlanta Track Club