The challenge Lauren Brown faced entering her senior year of cross country at Waterville Senior High School was a good problem to have. When you’re already a very good runner, how do you get even better?

“She started the year coming off a very strong season last year, and this year took it to another level,” Rob Stanton, Waterville’s cross country coach, said. “One of the real challenges with all athletes is the better you become, the harder it is to become better.”

Waterville senior Lauren Brown is the Morning Sentinel Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Staff photo by Michael G. Seamans

First team

Lauren Brown, Sr., Waterville

Anna Guadalupi, Jr., Cony

Anne McKee, Sr., Kents Hill

Cecilia Morin, Jr., Waterville

Talia Jorgensen, Fr., Cony

Second team

Maggie Hickey, Jr., Mt. Blue

Jaden Gray, Jr., Lawrence

Avery Brennan, Jr., Messalonskee

Maddie Taylor, So., Maranacook

Laura Parent, So., Maranacook

For Brown, getting better was just about getting in the miles. Brown improved the old fashioned way, through hard work.

“I just worked really hard in practice. I tried to do my best in anything we did in practice. I tried to keep working hard and putting in the effort every day, because I knew if I didn’t, I wasn’t going to get any better,” Brown said. “I was just hoping to improve on my times and get better, and I definitely accomplished that. I was really pleased.”

Brown won the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B title, as well as the Northern Maine Class B crown. She placed third at the state meet, an improvement from her fifth place finish as a junior.

For her hard work and success, Lauren Brown is the Morning Sentinel Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Brown also won the honor last year.

“Lauren is extremely consistent. She puts the work in, day in and day out. She’s really reaping the rewards from that,” Stanton said.

Brown said her best race of the season came at the Festival of Champions in Belfast on Oct. 3. Competing against the largest field of runners of the season, Brown placed sixth with a time of 19:00.65. She finished behind four runners from La Salle Academy of Providence, Rhode Island and Orono’s Tia Tardy, who went on to win the Class C state championship.

“There was the most competition there. The La Salle girls were there. Tia Tardy was there. There was just a lot of people around. In most of my races, I had to run by myself the whole time. That could be very difficult. At the Festival of Champions, I had quite a bit of competition, so it was fun,” Brown said.

Brown won by a large margin in the regional and conference meets. Her time of 19:01.29 at the regional championship, also in Belfast, was 35 seconds better than second place finisher Amanda Boyd of John Bapst. Brown won the KVAC B meet in 19:52.4, more than a minute ahead of Cecilia Morin, her Waterville teammate and runner-up. Brown — who prefers to compete in closer races — was the only girl to break 20 minutes at the KVAC meet in either Class A or B.

“It’s pretty tough to be all by yourself out there. There’s nothing to distract you from feeling tired or feeling the pain in your legs. It can be kind of hard. You just have to try to stay focused and go as hard as you can, no matter what,” Brown said.

An injury suffered during the New England championship in Thetford, Vermont prevented Brown from finishing the race.

“I was just trying to get around people and I think I tripped over a root and sprained my ankle,” Brown said.

Brown has recovered from the injury and is ready to help the Purple Panthers try to defend its state titles in indoor and outdoor track and field. Brown is undecided on her college plans.

“I’ve been looking at places in state and out of state, but I don’t really know where yet,” Brown said.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

<URL destination=””>tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

</URL>Twitter: <URL destination=””>@TLazarczykMTM