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The Mocorunning.com Girls All-Decade T&F Team
Mocorunning.com is proud to present the Mocorunning.com All-Decade Team. Between 5/25/2009 and 6/1/2009, a select group of Montgomery County coaches voted on the top 100 track and field athletes (50 boys and 50 girls) who competed in Montgomery County between the years 2000 and 2009. The voting panel consisted of the following coaches who have been coaching in Montgomery County since at least 2001: Steve Bettis, Robert Burke, Richard Drozd, Greg Dunston, Fran Parry, Scott Mathias, Herb Tolbert, Matt Wheeler, Tom Rogers, and Steve Hays. Coaches were asked to use their own discretion to determine what constitutes "the best" athletes, but coaches were specifically asked to only consider accomplishments in high school track & field - not accomplishments from cross country, other sports, or higher level competition. Coaches also voted among themselves to determine the coaches of the decade. The fastest relay teams of the decade are listed based on the fastest times found in research and were not voted on by coaches.
Corrections, additional information and additional photos can be sent to webmaster@mocorunning.com at any time
First Team All-Decade
 | Coach of the Decade: Scott Mathias, Poolesville and Clarksburg - Under Scott Mathias, the Poolesville girls won indoor state titles in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 and won the outdoor state title in 2003. Between 2000 and 2006, Poolesville girls won 12 relay state titles and 21 individual state titles. He started the Clarksburg track program from scratch in 2007 and coached two relays and one individual girl to state titles. He also coaches the Clarksburg boys who won the 2008 outdoor county title and 2009 outdoor state title. He was named the Washington Post All-Met Coach of Year for girls indoor track in 2002 and for boys outdoor track in 2008. |
Audrey Gariepy-Bogui |
Athlete of the Decade: Audrey Gariepy-Bogui, Churchill Class of 2007 - New Interview with Audrey
Audrey Gariepy-Bogui's story begins at the 2006 indoor county championship meet where she won the high jump, long jump, triple jump, and 55-meter hurdles, breaking the county meet record in the triple jump. She followed it up with two regional titles and a state title in the high jump. All of her times and marks improved drastically that outdoor season. She had limited participation at the outdoor county championship due to illness but still won the long jump and triple jump. She won the 100 hurdles, long jump, high jump and triple jump at regionals, setting what would be her high school best mark in the long jump (17-00.50). She won state titles in the high jump (5-05) and 100-meter hurdles (14.32), while also placing second in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump. Those who thought her junior year was special were in for a pleasant surprise the following year. At the 2007 indoor county championship meet, she smashed her own triple jump meet record by almost four feet with a jump of 38-01.00, broke the meet record in the 55-meter hurdles (8.22), and broke the meet record in the high jump (5-08.50). She placed second in the 55-meter dash by thousandths of a second in 7.30. She won the dash, hurdles and high jump at regionals and won state titles in the high jump and 55-meter hurdles, tieing the 4A state record in the high jump (5-08) and breaking the 4A state record in the hurdles in the fastest time of the decade by a county athlete by 0.34 seconds (8.01). That outdoor season, she broke meet records in four events at the county championship meet, clocking 14.05 in the 100-meter hurdles and 44.57 in the 300-meter hurdles, and jumping 38-00 in the triple jump and 5-09.50 in the high jump. She won the same four events at the regional meet and won state titles in the high jump (5-08), triple jump (38-02.25), and 100-meter hurdles (13.77). 13.77 was the fastest time of the decade by a county athlete by 0.64 seconds. She also placed second in the 300-meter hurdles in 43.66, giving her the fastest times of the decade among county athletes in the 55- 100- and 300-meter hurdles. In her final two years of high school, she won 13 county titles, 13 region titles, and 8 state titles. She currently competes for Villanova University.
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Olivia Ekpone |
Olivia Ekpone, Northwest Class of 2011 - Attentive fans knew about Olivia Ekpone long before she entered high school. With the Maryland Titans Track Club, she set age group national records at the AAU junior olympics before 8th grade. She entered high school with the Wootton program and went undefeated against Montgomery County athletes as a freshman. She boosted Wootton to win the county title both indoors and outdoors by winning county titles in the 55, 100, 200, 300, and 400. She won individual state titles in the 55, 100, 200, and 400, only failing to win the indoor 300 state title when Doris Anyanwu of Eleanor Roosevelt beat her out of a separate heat. She concluded her indoor season by earning Nike All-American honors in the 60, 200, and 400. As a freshman, she was named the Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year for the State of Maryland and had PR's of 7.05, 11.68, 23.98, 39.49, and 54.18, all the fastest of the decade by a county athlete at that time. As a sophomore, she won the state title in the 300 and improved her time to 38.96. She opted to transfer to Northwest High School between the indoor and outdoor seasons of her sophomore year. She boosted Northwest to win the outdoor county title by sweeping county (and region) titles in the 100, 200, and 400. She won the 400-meter dash at the state championship and was named the Washington Post All-Met Athlete of the Year, the only female athlete from Montgomery County to earn the distinction this decade for any track season. With six state titles as a sophomore, she could eventually be considered the greatest Montgomery County athlete of all time. |
Morgane Gay |
Morgane Gay, Whitman Class of 2008 - Morgane Gay was just beginning to show signs of being a talented varsity runner when the "E Squad" won the first of what would be six consecutive county titles for Whitman in the 4x800 relay. She missed much of her sophomore year due to injury, but established herself as the top county distance runner during her junior cross country season. She won county and regional titles in the 1600 before placing second to Marika Walker at indoor states in 2007. During outdoor track, she put together the most incredible string of 1600 meter races by a county athlete this decade, running 4:56.7 at the Viking Invitational, splitting 4:50 in the DMR at the Penn Relays to place 7th in 12:08.06, 5:01.9 to win the county title, 4:55.27 to win the regional title, and 4:59.57 to win the state title. 4:55.27 was the fastest officially recorded time by a county athlete this decade (only her DMR split was faster). In her senior year, she went after the 800. She won the county title in 2:17.11, the region title in 2:15.61, and placed second at the state meet in 2:11.58, the fastest time by a county athlete this decade and the fourth fastest time ever at the state meet by a Maryland athlete. She currently competes for the University of Virginia where she was recently named ACC Freshman of the Year, earned All-American Honors in the 1500, and placed second at the US Juniors Championship in the 1500. |
Toni Aluko |
Toni Aluko, Paint Branch Class of 2004 - Toni Aluko showed that her junior year would be quite different from previous years when she broke meet records in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump at the 2003 Montgomery Invitational. She won the county and state titles in the high jump, breaking the indoor state record with a jump of 5-08.25. She cleared 5-09.75 at the Penn Relays that year, matching the height of the winner, but losing the top spot with more misses. It was the best high jump mark of the decade by a county athlete. She won the high jump (5-09), long jump (18-05), and triple jump (37-10.50) at the outdoor county championship, setting meet records in the high jump and triple jump. She won state titles in the high jump and long jump with a long jump mark of 18-09.00, the best jump of the decade by a county athlete. On top of everything she already accomplished, she returned the following season and dropped her time in the 55-meter hurdles to 8.36, the third best of the decade by a county athlete. The triple jump, which was arguably her weakest event as a junior, became one of her best as a senior as she hit 38-03.00 to win the state title by over a foot. It was the fourth best TJ mark of the decade by a county athlete. She graduated with four consecutive high jump state titles and one-a-piece in the long and triple jump. She competed for the University of Maryland where she became ACC Champion in the high jump. |
Arielle Statham |
Arielle Statham, Paint Branch Class of 2009 - For Arielle Statham, it was a slow and steady progression from a talented freshman to one of the best county athletes of the decade. She won a number of regional titles as a sophomore and junior, but really stepped up as a senior. At the 2009 Virginia Tech Invitational, she ran 40.17 in the 300 and jumped 39-10.25 in the triple jump, the best indoor jump of the decade by a county athlete. At the indoor county championship, she won the triple jump and placed second in the 55 and 300, getting her 300 down to 40.12 on a flat track, the second best of the decade by a county athlete. With a great race, she won the 55-meter 3A state title in 7.11, the third best time of the decade by a county athlete. Outdoors, she clocked top five times this decade in the 200 (24.86), and the 400 (55.59). She became the only athlete this decade to break 40 feet in the triple jump when she won the state title with a jump of 40-04. She will compete for the Univeristy of Maryland next year. |
Leslie Morrison |
Leslie Morrison, Whitman Class of 2008 - Leslie Morrison won the 500, 800, and 4x800 at the indoor county championship meet three years in a row. In 2007, records were set in all three events including her 500-meter PR of 1:16.26, the fastest time of the decade by a county athlete. She ran 1:36.48 in the elite 600-meter race at the Virginia Tech Invitational and 2:52.23 in the elite high school 1000-meter race at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. She had a personal best 400-meter time of 56.92. She won her first state title at the 2007 outdoor state meet where she ran a PR of 2:14.02 in the 800, the second fastest time of the decade by a county athlete. As a senior, she moved up to the 1600 and won the state title in 5:04.59, the fifth fastest time of the decade by a county athlete. As a member of the 4x800 relay, she won six consecutive county titles, earned all-american honors, and clocked the best time of the decade by a county team with a 9:16.22. She currently competes for Duke University. |
Katie Wolf |
Katie Wolf, Churchill Class of 2010 - If there was any question about just how good Katie Wolf was as a freshman, she answered those questions by winning the 200 and 400 at both the county and regional championship meets, taking down the mighty Leslie Morrison in the 400 in the process. She had freshman PR's of 12.13, 24.73, and 56.63, and has progressed every year since. When Olivia Ekpone came along the next year and started running even faster times, she continued sprinting but also tested out the 300-meter hurdles and won the regional title in 45.90, the eleventh fastest time of the decade by a county athlete. As a junior, she ran 7.14 in the 55, 11.97 in the 100, 24.54 in the 200, 40.53 in the 300, and 55.98 in the 400. Those times are the fourth, fifth, third, third, and third best by a county athlete this decade, respectively. |
Tenesha Hill |
Tenesha Hill, Gaithersburg Class of 2005 - Tenesha Hill spent her first two years of high school as the second best sprinter in the county, improving behind teammate Nina Warren. As a junior in 2004, when Warren was a senior, Montgomery County sprints belonged to Hill. She won the outdoor county titles in the 100 and 200, clocking 11.93 FAT and 25.0h. She won the regional 100 meter title and placed second in the state in the 100. As a senior, she did not lose a 100 or 200 meter race to a Montgomery County athlete all season, sweeping county and regional titles in the two events. She capped off her career running 11.75 and 24.25 in the 100 and 200 in the qualifying rounds at the state championship, the second best times of the decade by a county athlete in both events. She ultimately placed first in the 100 and second in the 200 at the state meet. She competed for McKendree University and Middle Tennessee State University. |
Nina Warren, Gaithersburg Class of 2004 - Nina Warren was one of the most dominant Montgomery County sprinters of the decade. Aside from her Gaithersburg teammate Tenesha Hill, Warren was untouchable to other county athletes at that time. At the 2002 TC Williams Invitational, she clocked 11.80 in the 100-meter dash, becoming the first of five girls to break 12 seconds this decade. She won multiple county titles in the 55, 100, 200, and 300, including a personal best county record time of 7.06 in the 55 at the 2004 county championship. In 2002, she contributed to a 47.66 4x100 relay, the fastest of the decade by a county team, and a 1:40.82 4x200 relay, the second fastest time by a county team. She also ran times of 25.15 in the 200m and 41.69 in the 300m, and was a Nike Indoor All-American in the 200. She competed for North Carolina Central University.
Halsey Sinclair |
Halsey Sinclair, Blair Class of 2007 - Few runners changed the entire dynamic of the county competition like Halsey Sinclair. After dominating county runners during her freshman cross country season, she proved herself on the track by winning county titles in the 1600 and 3200 and winning the 3200 state title both indoors and outdoors. As a freshman, she clocked times of 11:04, 5:07 and 2:18, times that very few athletes hit in the previous five years. News about her spread on the internet at a time when internet coverage was just beginning to grow. She raised the bar and inspired a whole generation of runners to chase after her for her entire four year high school career. She won twelve county titles in the 1600 and 3200 and graduated with PR's of 2:16.99, 5:06.34, 11:01.3h, and 18:09.19. She is the only athlete to finish in the list of top ten county athletes this decade in the 800, 1600, and 3200. She currently competes for Radford University. |
Ashley Fauntleroy, Paint Branch Class of 2004 - Ashley Faunteleroy was an above average thrower through her junior year, but came out her senior year stronger and faster than ever. At the Montgomery Invitational, she improved her personal best from the previous year from 35 feet to 37 feet. She won the indoor county shot put title in 36 feet and then launched a 40-foot 6-inch bomb at the Virginia Tech Invitational. It was the best throw by a county athlete this decade by 17 inches. She finished second in the state in the shot put both indoors and outdoors. She was pretty good in the discus that year, too, throwing a personal best 115 feet to win the 3A state title. She competed for UMBC.
Veronica Salcido |
Veronica Salcido, Wootton Class of 2008 - Veronica Salcido took the DC area by storm in her freshman year. She broke indoor county records in the 500 (1:18.58) and 800 (2:19.51) and won the 1600-meter indoor state title in 5:06.13. At the Dogwood Track Classic, she ran 4:57.23 to win the 1600, the second best time of the decade by a county athlete, and 2:15.48 to win the 800, the third best time of the decade by a county athlete. She won the county and region titles in the 800 and 1600, and was runner up in the 800 and 1600 at the state championship. She currently competes for the University of Pennsylvania. |
Olivia Durr |
Olivia Durr, Poolesville Class of 2009 - Olivia Durr is one of five Poolesville girls to win four or more individual state titles this decade. She won two state titles in the 100-meter hurdles and one-a-piece in the 55-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles. She is one of two girls who ranks in top five in the county this decade in all three hurdle events with times of 8.38, 14.74, 44.78. She clocked 1:03.65 in the 400-meter hurdles at the Penn Relays and high jumped 5-02 multiple times. She will compete for Dartmouth College next year. |
Arleigh Rose |
Arleigh Rose, Sherwood Class of 2008 - Arleigh Rose was at first a strong discus thrower, but eventually improved to become the best combination discus-shot put thrower of the decade. She won the county and regional titles in the discus as a sophomore and placed third in the state. The following year she won the indoor county title in the shot put and won the state title in the discus. In her senior year she went unbeaten against county competition in championship meets winning county and regional titles in the shot put and discus. At the regional meet, she threw 124-06 in the discus, the best throw by a county athlete this decade. At the state championship, she threw 38-09.75 in the shot put, the third best throw of the decade by a county athlete. She currently competes for Colorado State University. |
Erika Zoller |
Erika Zoller, Damascus Class of 2005 - Erika Zoller was the MVP of the indoor and outdoor county championship meets in her senior year. At the indoor county meet, she won the 55 hurdles in 8.54 and set the meet record in the long jump at 16-05. At one point, she was ranked #2 in the nation in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.94h, though her fastest FAT time was 8.35 (the second fastest of the decade by a county athlete). At the outdoor county championhip, she won the long jump in 17-03, the 100 hurdles in 14.5h, and placed second in the 300 hurdles. At the state championship, she ran 14.41 in the 100 hurdles, the second fastest time of the decade by a county athlete. |
Second Team All-Decade
#2 Coach of the Decade: Beth Muehl, Northwest - Northwest won the girls outdoor county title in 2006 and won it again in 2009. Every year, Northwest fields a well-rounded team which is reflective of her background in hurdle and jumping events as well as her knowledge of distance events. Northwest has had three individual state champions and five relay state titles over the last ten years.
Jessie Rubin |
Jessie Rubin, Wootton Class of 2010 - After taking an indoor season off, Jessie Rubin returned to the track in the spring of her junior year on a totally new level. At a mid-season meet at Chantilly High School, she ran a 3200 in 11:03.52, a sixteen second PR from the previous year and the fourth fastest time of the decade by a county athlete. She dominated the normally competitive county competition by sweeping county and regional titles in the 1600 and 3200. She ran 11:03.80 to win the 3200 state title and followed it up with a second place effort in the 1600 in which she set a four second PR of 5:03.12, the fourth fastest time of the decade by a county athlete. |
Cara Harrison |
Cara Harrison, Quince Orchard Class of 2007 - Cara Harrison was always in the mix for a top three finish in any race she ran in her last two years of high school. She did not win any county titles or any state titles, but one great 3200 race earned her the distinction of the fastest 3200 runner of the decade. As a senior, she won the regional 3200 race and then went after Eleanor Roosevelt's Marika Walker at the state championship. Walker pulled away for a time of 10:54.38 while Harrison finished second in 11:00.86, the closest any county athlete came to breaking the 11 minute mark this decade. She earned All-American honors in the 5k at Nike Indoor Nationals with a time of 18:01.90 and later dropped her 1600 PR down to 5:10.99. She currently competes for Brown University. |
Laura Shaw, Walter Johnson Class of 2003 - Laura Shaw was a two time state champion in the 300 hurdles. She won it in her junior year in 43.90 (FAT), the second fastest time by a county athlete this decade. She clocked a time of 1:01.14 in the 400-meter hurdles at the Penn Relays, the fastest time by a county athlete this decade. She had personal bests of 8.59 in the 55-meter hurdles and 15.19 in the 100 meter hurdles. She also had raw speed. She was county champion in the 300-meter dash and could run 7.46 in the 55-meter dash, 12.64 in the 100, 41.89 in the 300, and 58.65 in the 400 (indoors). She competed for Princeton University for a short time.
Thea LaFond |
Thea LaFond, Kennedy Class of 2011 - As an underclassman the past two years, Thea LaFond has won two county titles and four regional titles. At this year's outdoor state championship meet, she placed in the top four in the three open events that she was entered in including a second place effort in the triple jump with a leap of 39-08.00, the second best jump of the decade by a county athlete. She placed second that day behind Arielle Statham who landed the best jump of the decade by a county athlete. She has also jumped 17 feet in the long jump, and run top ten times this decade in the 55 hurdles (8.56) and 100 hurdles (14.84). As a rising junior, she has shown great promise to make the next all-decade team as well as this one. |
Vanessa Jules |
Vanessa Jules, Paint Branch Class of 2009 - 5-06 is the third best high jump mark by a county athlete this decade and Vanessa Jules cleared it six times in competition in her junior and senior years. She showed great consistency by clearing 5-03 or higher twenty times in competition during the last two years. She won four consecutive 3A west regional titles and two state titles in the high jump. She was also among the top sprinters in her time, clocking 25.71 in the 200 and 41.30 in the 300. She helped her team win the 2009 indoor state title with wins in the 4x200 and 4x400 in addition to the high jump. She will compete for Marshall University next year. |
Katie Rogus, Good Counsel Class of 2005 - Katie Rogus was named MVP of the WCAC championship meet in three consecutive years. At the 2004 WCAC Championship, she won the long jump, triple jump, 100 hurdles, and 300 hurdles. She ranks in the top five in Montgomery County this decade in the 100 hurdles (14.62), 300 hurdles (44.79), and long jump (18-01). She competed in pentathlons and heptathlons at the University of Maryland.
Page Harris |
Page Harris, Clarksburg Class of 2009 - At the 2009 Knights Invitational, Page Harris landed a jump of 18-03 on her final jump. It was a personal best by over a foot and ties for the second best jump of the decade by a county athlete. She placed second in the state in the triple jump as a junior with a mark of 37-04.00, a top ten mark this decade. She helped Clarksburg win the state title in the 4x100 in 2008 and 4x200 in 2009. She will compete for Jacksonville State University next year. |
Christina Mann | Christina Mann, Poolesville Class of 2003 - Poolesville did not always dominate the 1A classification. In 2000, Christina Mann became the first female state champion in Poolesville school history when she won the 400-meter dash in a modest 1:00.05. She would go on to win five individual state titles in the 300, 400, and 500, win eight relay state titles, and set a 1A state record of 40.7h in the 300. Her success spurred Poolesville into their winning ways. The Poolesville girls team ultimately won 45 individual and relay state titles as a team over the last ten years, nine more than any other boys and girls team combined. Mann is currently an assistant coach at Clarksburg. |
Ashley St. Denis |
Ashley St. Denis, Walter Johnson Class of 2004 - Ashley St. Denis helped her 4x800 relay team win three consecutive outdoor state titles between 2001 and 2003. The kicker is she doubled back to finish in the top three in the state in the 3200 on the same day each year. In her junior year, the relay team clocked 9:28.33 and she came back and PR'd in the 3200 with a time of 11:16.65. She was also 3200 state runner up in her sophomore year and tripled back the next day with a 1600 PR of 5:07.5. She is currently an assistant coach at Walter Johnson. |
Karen Pulliam |
Karen Pulliam, Quince Orchard Class of 2002 - Karen Pulliam was much better known for her domination on cross country courses, but still managed to win a few county and state titles on the track. In 2001, she won the 1600 and 3200 at the indoor state championship, running 5:07.1 and 11:18.5 in the two events. If it were not for her rival, Tenke Zoltani from Dulaney, she (and other Moco runners) may have won many more state titles. In 2000 she was runner-up in the 1600 and 3200 with a 1600 time of 5:06.00, the sixth best time by a county athlete this decade. She competed for the College of William and Mary. |
Jaimie Smith, Paint Branch Class of 2002 - In 2001, Jaimie Smith set the outdoor county championship meet record in the 800 with a time of 2:17.5. It was one of her first major victories, but she would go on to win three consecutive 800m state titles between indoor and outdoor track. She clocked 2:17.00 to win her third 800 state title as a senior. She earned all-conference honors with Long Island University where she dropped her 800 time down to 2:13.39.
Meghan Rose |
Meghan Rose, Poolesville Class of 2007 - Meghan Rose only ran indoor track, but she got things done during her one season of track per year. As a sophomore, she won the 1A state title in the 500, but she was just getting started. She returned in the winter of her junior year and won the county title in the 300 in 41.63 and placed second in the 500 in 1:17.45, the third best 500m time by a county athlete this decade. She went on to sweep the 300, 500, and 800 at the 1A West Regional Meet and the 1A State Championship, setting the 1A state record in the 300 with a time of 40.91. She currently plays lacrosse for Vanderbilt University. |
Louise Hannallah |
Louise Hannallah, Churchill Class of 2008 - Hannallah finished in the top three in nearly every race she ran in high school and ran under 11:30 over a dozen times. She clocked pesonal best times of 5:09.06 in the 1600 and 11:06.8 in the 3200 in her junior year. As a senior, she had little competition in the 3200, sweeping the indoor county, region, and state titles in the event. She followed that up by helping her teammates earn all-american honors at Nike Indoor Nationals in the 4x800 (9:24.40) and distance medley relay (12:12.80). She missed a significant portion of her senior outdoor season due to injury. She currently competes for Vanderbilt University. |
Phobay Kutu-Akoi, Kennedy Class of 2005 - At the 2005 indoor county championship, Kutu-Akoi won the 55 and 300 meter dashes and ran on the record breaking 4x200 and 4x400 relays. Those relays still hold the indoor county records today. She had personal best times of 7.19 and 40.90 indoors, both top five times by a county athlete this decade. Outdoors she ran 12.26 in the 100 and 25.3h in the 200. She competed for St. John's University.
Erin Moore | Erin Moore, Poolesville Class of 2004 - Erin Moore was a winner. Between 2002 and 2004, she won six individual 1A state titles. This ties for the second most state titles won by a county athlete this decade. She nearly swept the 500 and 800 at three consecutive indoor state meets, but her teammate grabbed the 500 title in her junior year. Her 2002 500-meter time of 1:18.3 is the fifth fastest of the decade by a county athlete and was the 1A state meet record until 2008. |
Third Team All-Decade
#3 Coach of the Decade: Greg Dunston, Walter Johnson and Georgetown Prep - Some coaches were torn whether to give Greg Dunston a vote on the girls side or the boys side. Before coaching the all-boys program at Georgetown Prep, he put together many of the finest female teams of the decade at Walter Johnson. The WJ girls were outdoor state runners up from 1999 through 2002 before they finally won the state title in 2003. WJ girls won four individual state titles and seven relay state titles between 2000 and 2006. Dunston began coaching at Georgetown Prep in 2007 where he led the Little Hoyas to IAC titles in 2007 and 2008.
Katie Salke |
Katherine Salke, Sherwood Class of 2009 - Running indoor track for the first time as a senior really helped Salke become one of the best hurdlers of the decade. She ran 8.48 to make the finals at the highly competitive Virginia Tech Invitational, the fourth best time of the decade by a county athlete. She proved to be on a new level outdoors by running under 15 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles multiple times including a region-winning 14.60 which was reportedly run on a stress fracture in her foot. It is the third best time of the decade by a county athlete. |
Hilary Moen |
Hilary Moen, Walter Johnson Class of 2006 - Moen won three consecutive regional titles in the 300-meter hurdles and may have won three consecutive county titles in the event if she was not DQ'ed in 2004. She posted a best time of 44.78 in the 300m hurdles, the third best of the decade by a county athlete. She also won a county title in the 55-meter hurdles (8.69) and a region title in the 100 hurdles (15.18 PR). |
Sharifa Love, Richard Montgomery Class of 2005 - Love had her ups and downs in high school. She first finished off her freshman year running 57.78 in the 400. She ran 41.66 in her sophomore year to win the indoor county title in the 300 and later ran 1:17.97 in the 500 and anchored her 4x4 to an indoor 3A state record time of 4:05.80. It took her until her senior year to return to her winning ways when she won the 300 and 500 regional titles indoors and ran a 200m PR of 25.82 outdoors.
Katelyn Poss | Katelyn Poss, Poolesville Class of 2006 - Poss only competed for two track seasons while in high school: the 2005 outdoor season and the 2006 outdoor season. In both seasons, she won state titles in the shot put and discus. She ranks in the top five this decade in both events with best marks of 38-03.25 and 117-09. |
Emma Eckerstrom |
Emma Eckerstrom, Northwest Class of 2008 - No one knows how Emma Eckerstrom's high school career may have turned out if she did not spend the second half of it rehabilitating a chronic back injury, but she did enough in her sophomore year to secure a spot on this list of the best athletes of the decade. She had an impressive double at the 2006 outdoor county championship, finishing second in the 1600 and 3200 and running PR's of 5:13.6 and 11:06.9. She went on to win the 3200 state title with an impressive kick and a finish time of 11:05.8, the fifth best time of the decade by a county athlete. |
Ashley Decruise |
Ashley Decruise, Richard Montgomery Class of 2007 - Ashley Decruise, along with her sister Ashlyn, transferred to Richard Montgomery from St. John's College High School in her senior year. The twins had an immediate impact on the public school competition, sweeping the 4x200 (1:40.75) and 4x400 (3:53.45) relays at counties, regions and states in the 2007 outdoor season. Ashley usually edged out her sister and claimed county titles in the 55, 100, and 300 that year with times of 7.30, 11.90, and 41.48. Her 100 time is the fourth best of the decade by a moco athlete. |
Alissa Jewell |
Alissa Jewell, Gaithersburg Class of 2008 - Jewell was good for a long time across a wide range of events. While in high school, she clocked 7.51 in the 55, 12.88 in the 100, 25.32 in the 200, 42.32 in the 300, and 57.64 in the 400. Her 200 and 400 times rank in the top ten in the county this decade. Gaithersburg won the county title in the 4x100 relay all four years she was in high school. |
Beth Catherwood, B-CC Class of 2003 - Catherwood was always among the top distance runners in Montgomery County, but was in a league of her own in her senior year. During the 2003 indoor season, she swept the 1600 and 3200 at the county championship and the state championship. Outdoors, she won the 3200 at the county championship (she did not attempt the 1600), and won the state titles in the 1600 and 3200 in high school best times of 5:08.87 and 11:10.73, both top ten times by a MoCo athlete this decade.
Irina King, Paint Branch Class of 2001 - King emerged as the dominant discus thrower in Montgomery County in the spring of 2000 when she won the county title in 118-11. She placed second in the discus in two conscutive outdoor state championships with a best throw of 123-01 in 2001, the second best throw of the decade by a Moco athlete. She was also a 35 foot thrower in the shot put.
Le'Quisha Parker |
Le'Quisha Parker, Northwood Class of 2011 - Parker was a star talent from the day she began competing for Northwood. By the end of her freshman year she was state champion in the 200-meter dash with a best time of 24.59, the fourth fastest by a MoCo athlete this decade. She also placed second in the state in the 100-meter dash in 12.28 and fifth in the state in the 400 in 59.08. |
Brittany Moreland |
Brittany Moreland, Northwest Class of 2007 - Moreland joined the Northwest track team in the spring of 2006 and contributed to the county championship team by winning the shot put with a throw of 34-11. The following year, she again won the county title in a personal best 39-01, the second best throw this decade by a MoCo athlete and just three inches shy of the county meet record which has stood since 1984. She was also a 100 foot thrower in the discus. |
Narica Offutt, Watkins Mill Class of 2001 - Offutt was the dominant sprinter in Montgomery County from 1999 to 2001, winning numerous county titles in her high school career. She clocked a time of 7.78 in the 60-meter dash which converts to approximately 7.13 for 55 meters, the third best mark of the decade by a Moco athlete. She also clocked 12.38, 25.17, and 41.3 in the 100, 200, and 300-meter dashes.
Emma Hanson, Damascus Class of 2006 - Hanson was almost automatic for clearing 5-04 in the high jump. Over a two year period, she won three county titles, three regional titles and one state title in the high jump. She chose not to compete in her senior year.
Jodi Taetle, Gaithersburg Class of 2001 - Taetle had a high school best mark of 9-06 in the pole vault, which ties two other girls for the best mark of the decade. Taetle, however, is the only pole vaulter to make the all-decade team. She won two pole vault state titles in her senior year and always grabbed more points for her team in the throwing events. She was capable of 32 feet in the shot put and 100 feet in the discus. She went on to Towson where she still owns the school record in the pole vault (11-10).
Kellie Dunston, Blake Class of 2005 - Dunston came on strong in the winter of 2003 when she ran 1:17.4h in the 500 to place second at the indoor state championship. It was the second fastest time of the decade by a moco athlete in the event. She would later clock 58.02 for 400 meters and become the 400m county champion.
Arike Ogundipe, Damascus Class of 2000 - Ogundipe high jumped 5-02, triple jumped 37-4, and long jumped 18-03 in her high school career. She was named the athlete of the meet at the 2000 outdoor county championship and went on to win the 3A state title in the 100 hurdles in a personal best time of 15.05. Ogundipe was also runner up at the 2000 indoor state championship in the 55 hurdles.
Ashlyn Sinclair |
Ashlyn Sinclair, Montgomery Blair Class of 2007 - Ashlyn Sinclair, along with her sister Halsey, took the county by storm in 2003-2004 school year. Ashlyn always had the better range of the two twins. She was good from the 500 (1:20.91) to the 3200 (11:29.1), but was best in the 800 (2:17.0) and the 1600 (5:09.17). She also enjoyed competing in the hurdles and steeplechase. In 2006, she was named a Nike All-American for finishing fifth at NON in the 2000-meter steeplechase in 7:20.8. |
Amirah Polite |
Amirah Polite, Churchill Class of 2009 - Polite ranks tenth among Montgomery County athletes this decade in the 100 hurdles (14.88) and the triple jump (36-01.50). She also ranks sixth this decade in the 55-meter hurdles (8.56) and has won a 4A West regional title in all three events. |
Tambetta Ojang, Paint Branch Class of 2003 - Ojang began track late in high school and only competed for a brief time, but in a matter of weeks recorded a long jump of 18-03, which ties for the second longest of the decade.
Cassie Tressler |
Cassie Tressler, Damascus Class of 2003 - Tressler excelled in multiple events including the long jump and hurdles, but was most accomplished in the high jump. She won two high jump state titles and cleared 5-04 multiple times.
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Honorable Mention All-Decade
Addie Tousely - B-CC 2009
Alex Doll - B-CC 2011
Alix Dyer - French International 2008
Alexandra Giedd - Churchill 2010
Ashley Dabney - Wheaton 2009
Ashlyn Decruise - Richard Montgomery 2007
Asia Nettles - Kennedy 2006
Bianca Williams - Holton Arms 2007
Britt Eckerstrom - Northwest 2011
Casey Dowling - Wootton 2012
Chinyelu Asher - Holy Cross 2011
Emily Furr - Poolesville 2007
Erin McManus - Churchill 2008
Fiona Weeks - Northwest 2006
Jacquelyn Adcock - Damascus 2007 | |
Julia Kaufman - Damascus 2001
Karen Aherne - Northwest 2004
Kathy Aherne - Northwest 2008
Lauren Rose - Gaithersburg 2009
Leigh Rivlin - Walter Johnson 2003
Liz Calhoun - Wootton 2008
Maryam Fikri - Churchill 2010
Octavia King - Blake 2009
Rebekah Harrison - Springbrook 2002
Rianne Webb - Richard Montgomery 2008
Sarah Clay - Damascus 2004
Serena Rochester - Richard Montgomery 2003
Shaakira Raheem - Einstein 2007
Tara Okusaga - Northwest 2007
Turquoia Johnson - Clarksburg 2009 |
Girls 4x800
#1. Whitman 2008 - 9:16.22 - A combination of Tessa Morrison, Liza Schalch, Gabe McKenzie, Leslie Morrison, and Morgane Gay lowered the indoor county meet record to 9:37.25 and outdoor county meet record to 9:22.14. Season best 9:16.22 came in runner-up effort at outdoor state meet.
#2. Whitman 2007 - 9:16.36 - A combination of Itziar Belausteguigoitia, Debbie Isen, Gabe McKenzie, Leslie Morrison, and Morgane Gay lowered Whitman's indoor county meet record to 9:37.99 and won their only 4x800 state title between 2006 and 2008. Season best 9:16.36 came in runner-up effort at outdoor state meet.
#3. Whitman 2006 - 9:22.69 - A combination of Debbie Isen, Leslie Morrison, Katherine Laco, Morgane Gay and Katie McFadden broke the indoor county meet record by 7 seconds in 9:43.71 and the outdoor county meet record by 13 seconds in 9:22.69.
Fun Fact: Whitman placed second next to Eleanor Roosevelt in the 4x800 in four out of six state championships between 2006 and 2008. Churchill placed second to Whitman in the 4x800 at six consecutive county championship meets, often breaking the previous meet record along with Whitman. Wootton 2009 and Churchill 2008 are the fastest non-Whitman teams.
Girls 4x400
#1. Northwest 2009 - 3:51.29 - India Knight, Alyssa Henshaw, Britt Eckerstrom, and Olivia Ekpone won counties in 3:57, regions in 3:55 and states in 3:51.29, the sixth fastest time ever at the state meet.
#2. Richard Montgomery 2007 - 3:53.45 - Rianne Webb, Ashley Decruise, Ashlyn Decruise, and Erin Hylton won their 4x400 heat at Penn Relays in 3:57 and won county, region, and state titles.
#3. Paint Branch 2008 - 3:56.89 - Arielle Statham, Vanessa Jules, Ashleigh Council, and Korine Duval ran 3:56.89 at the state championship.
Girls 4x200#1. Richard Montgomery 2007 - 1:40.75 - The RM girls dropped their 4x200 time continuously throughout the season to win counties in 1:42.12 and states in 1:40.75.
#2. Gaithersburg 2002 - 1:40.82 - While the Gaithersburg girls struggled against Largo at times, they made up for it by beating them at states in 1:40.82.
#3. Paint Branch 2009 - 1:41.81 - PB girls won counties and states indoor in the 4x200 and may have run the fastest indoor 4x200 ever by a county team with a time of 1:43.03 at Nike Indoor Nationals. They ran 1:41.81 at Nike Outdoor Nationals.
Girls 4x100#1. Gaithersburg 2002 - 47.66 - Tenesha Hill, Siobhan Marsh, Trina Curtis and Nina Warren placed second to Largo at the TC Williams Invitational in 48.16 and placed second to Largo at the state championship in 47.66 while Largo ran 46.83.
#2. Gaithersburg 2003 - 48.14 - Tenesha Hill, Siobhan Marsh, Elaina Smith and Nina Warren won the county title in 49.2h and placed second at states in 48.14.
#3. Richard Montgomery 2007 - 48.16 - RM won regionals by over three seconds in 48.28. They placed second at states in 48.16.
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