The Baylor Lady Red Raider cross country team has experienced much success since Heather Ott took over as its head coach in 1990.

They've done a lot of winning during that time, but earning a state title for the fifth time last Saturday at Nashville’s Percy Warner Park was unique in a couple of ways.

It was the first time the Baylor girls had won back-to-back titles and it marked the first time ever that a Baylor girl captured an individual state championship.

With junior Hannah Jumper racing to a first-place time of 19 minutes, 30 seconds for the 5K distance, three other teammates earned All-State honors as Baylor captured the biggest trophy with 48 points.

Many folks thought it would be a close fight for first place, but it really wasn’t as Ensworth and St. Agnes were next with 88 points apiece.

Mary Stagmaier was Baylor’s fifth finisher as she claimed 18th overall with a time of 21:33, but as the only senior on the team, her effort was monumental after a disappointing day on Friday.

Stagmaier is a member of Baylor’s soccer team and they lost a 1-0 heartbreaker in the state finals on Friday afternoon. Her parents brought her to Nashville later in the day so she could be ready to race on Saturday.

“It was a quiet ride from Chattanooga to Nashville, but Saturday turned out to be a great day,” Stagmaier explained one afternoon this week.

“Saturday was wonderful, but I was sad because it was my last race. I had a lot of anger and frustration built up from Friday, but at least I was able to outkick a GPS girl in the final stretch on Saturday,” the Baylor student body president added with a smile.

While Jumper was all alone in first, freshman Haley Chandler was fourth in 20:17.

Ruthie Townsend and Caitlin Duggan, two more talented freshmen, finished side by side in 21:02 for 12th and 13th places.

Stagmaier’s inspiring finish was just icing on the cake for the Lady Raiders.

Sophomore Kiki Rogers was 30th in 22:25 and junior Virginia Kelly 40th in 23:19 to complete Baylor's effort on Saturday.

Jumper has had an up and down season, but when the chips are on the line in the biggest races, you can count on this 16-year-old to come through like a champion.

That’s exactly what she did on Saturday.

“It was nice to feel decent while I was running. Kacey (Norbert of St. Agnes) had won the last two years, but I really wanted to win this year after finishing third last year. Besides, I wanted to do everything possible to help my team win,” Jumper recalled.

“I thought she was right beside me at the end, but I guess not,” she continued, being reminded that her margin of victory was some 16 seconds.

“I ran faster last year, but I didn’t want to go out too hard in the first mile and die. I felt like I was really in control. I haven’t run as fast this year, but I’ve run well and I guess that’s what counts,” Jumper nodded.

Chandler earned All-State honors for the second time. She had a smile on her face when she talked about Saturday’s race.

“That was really special. We worked together as a team. I liked the way I raced,” the 14-year-old freshman remembered.

Townsend and Duggan both earned All-State honors for the first time as they ran virtually the entire way together.

“I don’t think I had my best race. I’m sure I could have run faster,” Townsend said, not giving herself any credit for a gutsy performance in the biggest race of the season.

“It was really exciting. Winning another state title made it a special day. I felt like I was more competitive on Saturday than the rest of the season, but I didn’t want to let my teammates down, Duggan nodded.

Needless to say, coach Ott was extremely pleased and proud of Saturday’s results.

“I’m still on cloud 9 and that’s a nice place to be,” Ott expressed between classes earlier this week.

“All of these girls worked their tails off this summer so they would be ready to compete when the season began. There wasn’t anything magic about what they did. They just did everything I asked during the summer and it paid off last Saturday.

“You know, it’s nice to have talented young ladies, but it’s really special for them to do everything you ask. We’re fortunate to have kids who are committed to the program.

"My job is to help them stay healthy and not let them get burned out while at the same time reminding them to have fun.

“These girls executed really well all year long. We got a lot better at being patient in the first mile. We know you can’t win a race in the first mile, but you can surely lose one there if you don’t run smart. It was so much fun for me to watch them gain racing experience.

“Hannah is a real student of the sport. We have a great relationship as our communication is totally open. She knows what her training needs are and what works best for her.

“Hannah worked so hard during the summer, but she had a series of disappointing races at the start of the season, but she kept working and got her season back on track. She always had good speed, but she gained a lot of confidence at the end,” Ott added.

You would think that with only one senior and a bunch of talented underclassmen, Baylor could and should be favored to make it a threepeat in 2010.

Ott was quick to defend that idea.

“That’s a long way off. Anything can happen,” she suggested.

Who knows what next year will bring, but one thing is for sure. If you have teammates willing to do the homework on those hot, summer days when nobody’s watching, race days can be really exciting.

That was certainly the case last Saturday in Nashville at Percy Warner Park.

(Email John Hunt at tnmoose2002@aol.com)