Brevard sophomore Pagano named T-N Girls Runner of the Year
Wed. December 12, 2012 at 10:48 p.m. | By Dean Hensley
Brevard's Aly Pagano runs to the finish line during the WNC Cross Country Carnival at Jackson Park in August. (Photo by MIKE DIRKS/ TIMES-NEWS)
The race for the 2012 Times-News Cross Country Girls Runner of the Year was very, very close.
Two girls posted below-20-minute times in the 5,000-meter run this year, and both were sophomores. In the end the nod went to the runner who edged out the other one more in head-to-head battles this season: Brevard sophomore Aly Pagano.
Pagano has been named the Times-News Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year after having one of the best times all year (19:54) and after having the highest finish (18th) of any area girl at the state championships.
The other runner who broke the 20-minute barrier this season was East Henderson's Molly Horton, who did beat Pagano once this year at the WNC Cross Country Carnival. Horton ended up sixth at the season-opening race at Jackson Park, and Pagano came in 40th.
After that, Pagano out-placed Horton in every single head-to-head battle, capping off the year with a personal-best time of 19:54 at the 2-A state meet for an 18th-place finish.
Pagano finished third at the 2-A West Regional meet to earn All-Region honors, and she was runner-up at the WNC Athletic Conference meet for all-conference honors.
She's led her team the past two seasons and helped this year's squad qualify as a team for the state meet for the first time since 2008. She was the lone state qualifier from Brevard last year as a freshman.