Kayla Woltz • Chatfield • Freshman • Cross country

• Woltz, a ninth-grader, crushed the competition in the Section One, Class A girls meet Thursday at Northern Hills Golf Course, breaking the tape 19 seconds ahead of her next-closest competitor.

• It was a repeat championship for Woltz, whose victory lasat week made her the second girl to win Section 1A as an eighth- and ninth-grader (Kristi Colbenson of Rushford-Peterson was the first).

• She won the section by 30 seconds last year.

• This will be Woltz's third trip to the state meet. She was a surprising second last year. She is ranked seventh in the state coaches poll.

• "In addition to Kayla's natural athletic ability, she has a teriffic work ethic," says her coach, Chris Frye. "If we have a long run scheduled on a weekend, I know she's going to be out there doing a 10-miler.

"One of her most defining characteristics is her pace judgment. We like to race at a fairly even pace, not going out too fast. From day one as a seventh-grader, she's been able to run almost dead even splits. If we're doing intervals in practice, you could set your watch by her splits, she's that even."

• Add humility: "For all she's accomplished at such a young age, I've never seen a hint of boasting," Frye said. "In fact, she almost seems embarassed by the attention. When she's with her teammates, she's just one of the team -- just a goofy 9th grader. You'd never know that she's one of the state's top runners. I just don't think it's in her nature to let this go to her head."

-- Craig Swalboski

Post-Bulletin Athlete of the Week is a feature on outstanding Rochester area athletes of all ages and runs every Tuesday. We welcome your nominations: send them to Sports Editor Craig Swalboski at P.O. Box 6118, Rochester, MN 55903.

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