The Charlotte Observer announced on Dec. 23 Northwestern\'s Angelina Blackmon earned Runner of the Year after finishing out her senior cross-country season as a Trojan.

Jack Shephard of Track and Field News recently released his 46th edition of High School Track annual. The book lists the top 50 athletes in the nation for each standard high school track and field event. Nineteen high school track and field athletes from South Carolina were mentioned on the list, based on their 2003 track and field performances.

Eleven cross-country runners from South Carolina traveled 1465 miles to compete in the USATF Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships on Saturday, Dec. 13 at Lovelace Soccer Complex in Albuquerque, N.M.

Thirty senior cross-country runners from South Carolina have committed to participate in the 2003 Shrine Bowl Run on Dec. 20. The relay run takes place from the state house steps in Columbia and the ball is run up to Rock Hill District III Stadium, 70.8 miles from Columbia for the Shrine Bowl as the official game ball. This is the 18th year that the Shrine Bowl Run has been in existence.

Kate Niehaus (sophomore, Spring Valley) and Angelina Blackmon (senior, Northwestern) concluded their 2003 cross-country season Saturday at the 2003 Footlocker Nationals at Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif. Both Blackmon and Niehaus compete in South Carolina\'s 4A classification of female runners.

Ben Comen steps to the line as any cross-country runner does every week during the season. This year has been busier for Comen as he has been interviewed for Sports Illustrated, met the United States President on Nov. 11 and also goes to the school where \"Radio\" attended.

Chase Shealy, 18, a former pole vaulter at Brookland-Cayce received a two year suspension by the United States Anti-Doping agency on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Shealy\'s suspension was put in place after being tested positive for amphetamine, which was from a prescription medicine in June, 2003. According to Shealy\'s father, Rusty the USADA is required to give a two year suspension for anyone who tests positive for the substance.

Muddy conditions at the 2003 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Cross-Country Nationals were a surprise to all the runners in Kettering, Ohio on Dec. 6. South Carolina brought two teams to the event. The upper state was represented by the Greenville Track Club (GTC) and the lower state brought the Viking Track Club (VTC). \"It (conditions) got much worse as the day progressed,\" said Foley.

Katherine Warden is a freshman at Gardner-Webb University. Warden graduated from Dreher High School in Columbia last May. Warden is focusing on middle distance events for the upcoming track season.

Several cross-country runners from South Carolina are competing this Saturday, Dec. 6 at the AAU Nationals at Indian Ripple Park in Kettering, Ohio.