Southern Nevada

LEGENDS OF CROSS COUNTRY
                        
 

The purpose of the Legends of Cross Country has always been to honor the best high school cross country runners in Southern Nevada, past and present.  Established in 1997, Legends of Cross Country initially included the top 50 Southern Nevada high school cross country runners from the 80’s and 90’s. All state champions and southern zone winners from those years plus a few other outstanding runners from area high schools were chosen by yours truly. Since that beginning in 1997, the list has been expanded and broadened annually by adding athletes from as far back as 1972 (for boys) and 1978 (for the girls), since those are the first years that a Nevada State Championship was held in cross country. Those selected were chosen by yours truly after consultation with other local-area cross country coaches.

Then starting with this past year, 2001, I turned the Legends selection process over to a committee of current coaches and past Legends. I used the Baseball Hall of Fame (HOF) selection process as a guideline and came up with criteria for selection that required 75% of the votes for induction from a list of nominees that included current graduating high school seniors who had been cross country standouts. The only automatic selections now are State Champions. I will continue to fine tune the selection process as necessary, such as having a Veteran’s Committee consider past overlooked potential Legends every five years as they do with the baseball HOF, but I want selection as a Legend to remain something special. As of now there are 114 Legends, which averages out at two boys and two girls per year. As the area grows--more schools and more runners--it is reasonable to expect as many as three or more Legends in any given year. With that in mind I have arrived at the following:

Criteria for Selection

1. State Champions (all classes)

2. Graduating senior from a Southern Region high school who has run cross country in Nevada for at least two years, but more likely three or four years.

3. To be recognized as a Legend implies that the athlete stood out from his or her peers as an outstanding runner, within the time frame of his or her high school years. Some Legends have been outstanding from the beginning: as freshmen all the way through their senior years (Abby Miller and Patrick Swick come to mind). Others have shown steady progress and don’t excel right away. (This is often the case with boys.) However, almost all Legends will have excelled among their peers in Nevada for at least two years. (The exception would include  a runner who is a state champion regardless of longevity.)

a. Primary selection is based on how well an athlete has achieved at the Nevada State Meet and secondarily how well the athlete has performed in other championship meets: frosh-soph, league, region.

b. In considering runners who ran for 1A/2A/3A schools, their achievements will be in direct comparison (both time and place) with the top class (4A at the present time) runners.

Selection Process

1. State Champions are added to the list in the year in which they win a Nevada state championship.

2. Following the completion of the cross country season each year, two ballots (boys and girls) of graduating seniors who have had “noteworthy high school careers” will be prepared by the Legends Selection Committee. This committee is made up of current and retired coaches and former Legends and is subject to change from year to year.

3. There is no limit on the list of nominees (or inductees) from year to year; however, the selection committee may only vote for up to three boys and up to three girls for selection in a given year. In order to be selected, a nominee must be named on at least 75% of the ballots. Any runner who is named on at least 50% of the ballots will be automatically carried over to the next year.

Veterans Committee Selection

Once every five years, beginning in 2005, a select committee will consider any candidate from any year for special selection. A special ballot will be prepared by the Veterans Committee. Members of this committee may vote for any three athletes for inclusion as Legends. Nominees must be named on at least 60% of the ballots to be selected.

Legends Run

The Legends of Cross Country are honored at an annual 5K run to be held in the summer. The Legends Run for 2003 will be held the first Saturday in August at a site yet to be determined.



(Phil Lawton)
 

Southern Nevada High School Cross Country Legends

(1972-2005)

 

Legends of Cross Country
(1972-2005)

(Girls)

Angela Albert*—Meadows
Erin Aten—Bonanza
Christa Avena*—Bishop Gorman
Katie Bailey—Cheyenne
Pam Banta—Western
Katie Barto—Green Valley
Jamie Bisplinghoff*—Clark
Amy Blackwell—Basic
Heather Buchta—Clark
Carolyn Canella—Clark
Allison Carney—Centennial
Marci Cox—Cheyenne         
Cindy Craig*—Basic
Kristina Dermody—Bishop Gorman
Sharlene Downing*—Cheyenne
Sharunn Downing—Cheyenne
Heather Eck—Clark
Emily Eskin—Green Valley

Kelly Fernandez, Silverado
Erika Hanson—Green Valley

Wendy Harris** - Lund
Natalie Hicken—Basic
Jackie Gengler—Eldorado
Amanda Gramly—Clark
Jennifer Johnson—Las Vegas
Connie Johonnot—Bonanza
Madeline Jones—Bonanza
Rhonda Kilfoyle—Clark
Julie Kyriacou—LasVegas /Green Valley 
Chaz LaHodny—Clark/Faith Lutheran 
Jackie Love—Eldorado
Debra Master—Cimarron-Memorial
Meghan Mathews—Centennial
Bonnie McKiernon—Las Vegas
Amy Merten—Eldorado
Marty Mildren*—Indian Springs
Abby Miller****—Green Valley
Kathy Nelson—Bishop Gorman
Teresa Palmer—Boulder City
Kelly Pardee—Durango
Angela Peterson*—Meadows
Nikki Peterson**—Faith Lutheran
Tammy Powell—Valley
Alexis Recine*—Meadows
Julie Robles*—Boulder City/Basic
Diane Saletta—Clark
Madalyn Schmutz*—Boulder City
Phoenix Shields—Chaparral
Vivian Spencer—Indian Springs
Diane Stark—Bishop Gorman
Stephanie Stark—Bishop Gorman
Erin Sully—Cimarron-Memorial
Nikki Toms—Valley
Julie Whitehead—Basic
Natasha Wicks—Cimarron-Memorial
Connie Willard—Moapa Valley
Jennifer Wintermute—Clark
Shannon Wolff—Meadows
Carolyn Woodbury*—Las Vegas
Carrie Wright—Bonanza
Jessica Zarndt—Cheyenne

(Boys)

Jamalo Adem—Clark                          
Mike Barkhuff—Boulder City/Durango  
Chris Belt—Indian Springs                  
Dustin Belt—Indian Springs               
Brent Bowers*—Rancho                      
Kolby Campbell—Basic                       
Art Castle*—Western
Adam Chan—Eldorado
Mike Ceparano—Silverado                     
Ian Cherry—Eldorado                            
Jay Dettre*—Valley                                  
Scott DeVoge—Basic                              
James Eubank**—Clark

Scott Eubanks* - Laughlin                         
Justin Findlay—Valley                              
Brandon Grady*—Cheyenne          
Jack Hardy—Boulder City                    
Kenny Harmon—Basic                        
Chuck Hertig—Clark                                 
Ryan Horn—Silverado                            
Pat Hubbard**—Basic                     
Dustin Hudspeth—Silverado                      
Jimmy Ikner—Indian Springs                      
Cory Jeffers**—Bonanza                       
Billy Jefferies—Basic
Kole Krahenbuhl—Basic                                 
Chris Laman—Cheyenne                              
Brett Larsen—Bonanza                                   
John Lemming—Clark                                       
Tony Macey*—Valley
Aaron Magunson—Boulder City                              
Jamie McGeahy—Basic                       
Jake McLemore—Indian Springs
Tony Mosley—Rancho              
Kelly Murie—Durango
Brian Nestor**—Faith Lutheran                                                   
Richie Newton—Basic                         
Rex Noble—Durango                        
Rob Oslund—Basic                                     
Billy Pappas*—Valley                           
Sam Pearson—Eldorado                        
Manuel Perales—Las Vegas                       
Frank Pierce*—Eldorado                        
Frank Plasso Jr.—Bishop Gorman             
Oliver Redig—Basic                                  
Brandon Rock—Eldorado                      
Carlos Rojas*—Meadows

Blake Schlozthauer - Centennial

Josh Sillitoe, Basic                    
Mark Sinderson—Bishop Gorman
Greg Sullivan—Beatty
Patrick Swick*—Chaparral       
Melvin Thompson—Eldorado
Jim Thorne—Green Valley                
Chris Tuma—Basic                                      
Chris Wahl—Eldorado                            
Tim Watkins—Basic                                      
Norm Watson—Eldorado                          
Brad Weekes—Bonanza                         
Kurt Williams—Rancho                         
Andre Woods**—Eldorado                     
Tom Wysocki—Western                           
Terry Ybarra**—Valley                             
Mike Yeoman—Basic                                  

* Individual State Champion

 

 

 

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