On the fast track: Goethals earns Gatorade National Cross Country Runner of the Year award

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

Wednesday morning began just like every normal day for Rochester High’s Megan Goethals.

There was the first-hour bell, the passing between classes and the various lectures behind closed classroom doors.

Yet as third-hour began, things changed quite a bit for the school’s most recognizable student-athlete. Goethals was invaded in her anatomy class and presented the award as the 2009-10 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Although told the fib that she had to go to a press conference and photo shoot in the school’s auditorium, she was later greeted by a standing ovation of more than 500 fellow student-athletes, family, friends and faculty, plus representatives of Gatorade and ESPN, followed by a 30-minute presentation.

“I think this was shocking because I wasn’t expecting this at all,” said Goethals, who signed later in the day Wednesday with the University of Washington, along with several other Rochester High athletes who are going to play collegiate athletics next school year. “They said they were doing pictures for the (school) district. I saw a bunch of people walk in, my mom walk in, so it took me a minute to realize what was going on.”

This is the 25^th year that Gatorade has honored the best national athletes in a variety of sports. This is also the first time a Michigan cross country athlete has garnered the prestigious national award, although Goethals is the two-time Michigan Gatorade honoree for girls cross-country.

Overall, Michigan has six total National Gatorade winners, including Goethals,  soccer player Eric Alexander (Portage Central, 2005-06), basketball players Kevin Tolbert (Flint Northwestern-Edison, 2000-01), Lavell Blanchard (Ann Arbor Pioneer, 1998-99), Chris Webber (Birmingham-Detroit Country Day, 1990-91, and baseball player Drew Henson (Brighton, 1997-98). That makes Goethals the first Michigan female athlete to win the award in any sport.

Goethals, Michigan’s 2009  Miss Cross-Country, has put together quite an impressive resume during her cross-country and track career, which didn’t even begin until over half way through her freshman season of cross-country. She began on the freshman basketball team and decided to try both sports during the final month of that campaign, where the Falcons wound up placing fifth at the state meet.

She was a member of the Falcons’ Division 1 state championship cross-country team as a sophomore in the fall of 2007, where she also gained all-state honors.

As a junior and senior, she was undefeated against Michigan competition in cross-country, setting numerous course, league, county, regional and state records along the way. Last November, she became the first female runner in state history to eclipse the 17-minute mark, running 16:54.8 and winning the state title by 1:15 over her nearest competitor.

The two-time Footlocker Midwest Regional champ also became the first Michigan female runner to win the Footlocker National title, edging Chelsey Sveinsson of Dallas, Texas, at the finish line in the event held in San Diego, Calif., in December, 2009.

In a recent trend where Rochester High has produced a long line of highly-successful student-athletes in a variety of sports

“Obviously this is very exciting. It’s incredible,” said Larry Adams, who has served as a head or assistant coach in cross-country and track and field at Rochester for over 25 years. “All of her hard work has helped her become recognized nationally by Gatorade and ESPN. This is the icing on the cake, so far in the year, her career, as a runner at Rochester. I’m very excited for her, the school, her teammates, and the program in general. This doesn’t happen too often.”

Currently, Goethals is training and running indoor meets with some of her track and field teammates at Rochester. The Falcons were an all-time best fourth at last year’s Division 1 state championships and are expected to be one of the frontrunners for a state title this spring.

“A lot has happened, especially this season,” said Goethals, who also carries a 3.66 GPA. “I guess right now it’s just preparing for the next step, which is running at Washington.”

Goethals was the D-1 state champion in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters last spring and has placed highly in multiple events at the Nike Outdoor Track & Field nationals the past couple of years. She holds school records for the 800-, 1,600-, and 3,200-meters runs, plus the 3,200-meter relay, the latter where she helped the Falcons finish eighth in the state last May. She’s also the state record holder in the 3,200 run.

Goethals will be flying to Hollywood in July for the ESPN Espy awards. She will be honored along with other top-flight high school athletes from around the country at a special ceremony that weekend.

Even with all of the accolades, both locally, state and national, Goethals’ bell lap is far from over.

“There is still more to do,” said Adams. “She has a big track season up.”

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Last updated: Feb 03 2010 at 8:44 PM