Michael Lofton has been a mentor to Caitlin Connell for numerous years.
Lofton coached Connell in middle school and when the athlete advanced to high school, her coach made the move as well. The two were recognized for their success in the cross country arena recently as Connell was named the top female runner in Northeast Georgia for 2012 while Lofton was named one of the Coaches of the Year.
“For me, I was surprised by my honor,” Lofton said. “I am a champion for our kids. I will always do what I can to get them the recognition they deserve.”
Soccer was initially Connell’s choice of sport, but her friend, Anna Dean, wanted to her to be on the cross country team with her when they began their time at Winder-Barrow High School. The two have run side-by-side for several years now.
Whitley Kennedy has also been a running partner of Dean and Connell and the trio have led the Lady Bulldoggs to an unprecedented level of success the last four seasons.
“Those three push each other hard,” Lofton said. “They like to call themselves ‘the triple threat.’ You can’t talk about one without the other two.”
As a freshman, Connell was the team’s third-ranked runner. She finished 11th at state that season.
Her sophomore year, the standout runner had to battle hip pain, but remained on the varsity team throughout the year. Her junior year, she was the team’s No. 2 runner behind Amanda Cope. Despite having to fill Cope’s shoes this fall, Connell handled the task well, her coach said earlier this week.
“Caitlin is calm and passionate,” Lofton said. “She does what she does. She is not a yeller or a screamer. She just goes out and does it.”
Connell was third in region as a freshman and finished fourth as a sophomore. She was runner-up at region as a junior and won the event this fall with a new personal record of 19:22.
The Lady Bulldoggs have won four consecutive region championships. Connell has been named All-Area for the past four years.
As a senior, Connell won four races including region. She placed in the top 10 of 8-of-11 races and finished fifth at state this year in 20:18.
Beyond the cross country course, Caitlin is noted for leading her team in stretches and yoga, pacing techniques and encouraging younger runners.
“I never say that I am going to replace anybody,” Lofton said. “Each runner is unique. I only hope to find someone who mimics what they do. We go out and try to find runners with an athletic build and ability. Cross country can be a brutal sport. Caitlin said she loves the meets because she hates practice so much.”
Teammates Kennedy and Dean were both named All-Area for their accomplishments in 2012. Kennedy was third at the Region 8-AAAAA meet with a personal best of 19:58 while Dean set a personal best of 20:14 at region and finished fifth.
WBHS Lady Bulldogg runners Amber Palermo and Kiana Perez were named honorable mention All-Area.
NOTES: Skyler Lowe was named to the All-Northeast Georgia team for the WBHS boys. He ran a personal best of 17:07 at region and finished seventh. He turned in a time of 18:01 at state.
Bulldogg runners William Wright, Nelson Lofton and Alex Martinez were honorable mention All-Northeast Georgia.
Apalachee High School boys runners Stephen Sassano, Nick Zvirbulis and Chandler Campell were also named honorable mention All-Northeast Georgia.
Apalachee High School Lady Wildcats Madison Rogan and Casey Todd were named honorable mention All-Northeast Georgia.
