Pine Creek senior Heather Bates said she never dreamed of winning the Class 5A cross country championship. She wasn't alone. When she crossed Bear Creek with 800 meters to run, the crowd that gathered did make an audible "gasp."
"I could hear people along the way saying things like, 'oh' my gosh, I can't believe she is so far ahead.' And honestly, I couldn't believe it either."
She covered the hilly 5K course in 18:16.5, easily the fasted time of all the girls in all classes at the state meet.
The win marked Bates' first cross country title. She is a two-time track and field champion in the 3,200-meter run.