Lady Spartans win cross country state championship for school’s 150th state title
Mountain Brook High won its 150th state championship in school history on Saturday.
The Lady Spartans cross country team won the Class 7A state championship at Oakville Indian Mounds Park for the historic win.
Cross country has won its share of those titles. It is the 12th straight state title for Mountain Brook’s girls and the first in the newly established Class 7A. Mountain Brook, coached by Greg Echols, won 13 Class 6A championships from 2000-2013 – missing only 2002 in that streak when Austin won. Mountain Brook has 22 state girls cross country titles overall.
Mountain Brook finished with 41 points, ahead of Huntsville (59) and Hoover (79).
Mountain Brook junior Frances Patrick (19:01.95) was fourth and Lily Hulsey (19:07.13) crossed the finish line in seventh place to pace the Lady Spartans. Anna Balzli (19:20.44) was 10th, and also in the top 14 were Cameron Hudson and Tessa Allen, at 13 and 14, respectively. Joy McRae and Natalie Jones were 21st and 34th to round out the scorers.
Huntsville’s Abby Weitenbeck helped the Panthers to a second-place finish with a winning time of 18:41.66. Runner-up Amelia Harrison of Buckhorn clocked 18:49.09.
The Mountain Brook boys finished third behind Auburn and Hoover. Marshall Smith paced the Spartans with a 17th-place finish.