The Putnam County girls cross-country team recently wrapped up its best season in program history.
The Lady War Eagles captured the first region championship in school history on Oct. 26. They did so by taking down defending Region 4-AA champion Laney, with six runners finishing in the top 10.
Hannah Erickson finished first overall with a time of 21:17.22. Kayla Johnson (third), Lily Frisch (fifth), Alyssa Pennington (sixth), Alexandria Smith (ninth), and Jade Mullis (10th) also placed.
After claiming its first region title, Putnam County set its eyes on the GHSA Class AA State Meet in Carrollton. The final race took place on Saturday, Nov. 4, and when the dust settled, the Lady War Eagles had secured a top-10 finish, placing seventh overall out of 27 teams.
Putnam County cross-country head coach Joe Hutsell said this was the highest the program ever finished at state. Hutsell, who took over the program from Andrew Grodecki, said he was proud of his runners.
According to Hutsell, several of the girls had other activities outside of cross country, but they also worked hard and would sometimes run on their own. He loved their work ethic this past season.
“Ever since COVID, you have to be flexible as a coach. The clock doesn’t lie with cross country. It’s either you’re putting the work in or not,” Hutsell said. “Most of our cross-country runners are well-versed and do tons of different activities from Beta Club to FFA. So, they’re well-rounded, especially the girls. They do everything. Some missed practices but had to run on their own. That open door seemed to work well because they got their stuff done and we placed at state. I’m very proud.”
The Lady War Eagles were led by Erickson, who placed first at the region championships and 10th at the state level. The sophomore also earned All-State honors for her performance this past week.
Johnson, Frisch, and Smith – who are all seniors – helped Putnam County for scoring purposes at state. Their effort, along with Mullis Alyssa Pennington, and Laura Ruiz, helped the team finish seventh.
“The girls were so dedicated. They were getting their workouts done on their own, which is a dream come true for a coach because they put the work in without me standing over them,” Hutsell said. “Self-motivation is huge for a cross-country runner and it worked out well in the end.”
On the boys’ side, senior Cristian Hernandez, the lone male qualifier, earned an automatic bid by placing third in the region meet in Sandersville. Hernandez won the Region 4-AA championship in 2022.
Either way, Hernandez had a strong showing at the state meet. Hernandez set a new personal record of 18:21, which moved him up nine places from his 2022 finish to 38th overall out of 209 runners.
“We had a showing this season and are always looking for kids to come out,” Hutsell said. “I can’t wait for next season.”