The Charlotte Latin Hawks: 2010 N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A champions
Charlotte Latin girls cross country standout Ally Finical is a huge Steve Prefontaine fan, and she’s known for tossing out a quote or two from the late distance-running champion as inspiration.
This year, as the Hawks eyed winning their fourth consecutive state championship, Finical latched onto Prefontaine’s famed proclamation that “a race is a work of art.” And so did her teammates.
“What we wanted to do was not just win; we really wanted to make it a work of art,” Charlotte Latin coach Mike Weiss said. “We really felt our team had the ability to do that.”
The Hawks dominated the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A meet, as five Charlotte Latin runners finished among the top 11 – including individual champion Haylee Dawe – to bring home their fourth state crown.
Charlotte Latin had a score of 29. The second-place team, Greensboro Day, had 108. Providence Day (160) was seventh, Charlotte Country Day (263) was 10th, Covenant Day (276) was 11th and Charlotte Christian (456) was 16th.
Dawe led the way with her title-winning time of 18 minutes, 43 seconds. Dawe was joined in the top 11 by fellow Hawks Kameron Spence (third in 19:12), Finical (sixth in 19:45), Tricia Murphy (eighth in 20:19) and Laura Gill (11th in 20:39). The top 11 runners were named to the NCISAA 3A All-State squad.
Other Charlotte Latin team members included Tricia Belk, Kirsten Dyer, Meron Fessehaye, Natalie Gaines, Maggie Gardner, Anna Garwood, Lea Kokenes, Emily Lewis, Katie McDowell, Kristen Schumacher, Hannah Smith, Molly Teague, Genny Ward and Sarah Bailey Wilson.
Although this is the Hawks’ fourth consecutive title, Weiss said he never takes winning for granted.
“It’s always a lot of fun,” he said. “But I’m really happy for these girls. We have 19 girls on the team, and they’re all delightful to work with.”
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