Sarah Runs Like The Wind!


My niece Sarah is on her way to the 2007 AAU Junior Olympics
in Knoxville, TN (August 2-4) and I don't know who is more excited!!!

Here is a picture of her earlier this year in Durant Middle School:


While she was in Durant, her 7th grade team won all four meets
and they were the regional champs! Yeah Durant!

As an 8th grader, her teams won 3 out of 4 meets
and just fell short of another regional championship, so after
two great years, it's off to the races in high school and more!



Before entering high school, Sarah joined the AAU and her
performance in the Region 3A (North Carolina) Championship
earned her 1st place medals in the 3000m and the 1500m for
her age group....her regional gold medal times were 11:16.61
for the 3000m and 5:09.79 for the 1500m....she also collected
the bronze medal for 3rd place in the 800m.
More importantly, her times qualified her for the
2007 AAU Junior Olympics in Knoxville, Tennessee!
How cool is that!?




Check out that stride!
(from the North Carolina regionals)



So now it's off to Knoxville for the 2007 AAU Junior Olympics!
See ya there sweetheart! ;)




The countdown is on!


Tick...


Tick...


Tick...


Tick...


Tick...


FINALLY!


The 2007 AAU Junior Olympics
Knoxville, TN      July 25 - August 4, 2007


      



After the regionals, Sarah gave up her independent AAU membership
and gladly joined a local AAU club, The Carolina Lightning.
Here she is stretching with her teammate Alex and talking to
Coach Danny (left) and Alex's dad, Mr. Waite (orange shirt)
just before the 1500m race.




Sarah's group heading for the 1500m start line!




Sarah was seeded 12th in her age group for the 1500m and
improved her personal best time in this event by 5.23 seconds
by running a 5:04.56 and moved up two seeds to earn a
well deserved top 10 national finish!




Complete results for Youth Girls 1500m finals:

Place

Name

Hometown

Time

 

 

 

 

1

Gabrielle Anzalone

Grand Blanc, MI

4:49.58

2

Desha Abernathy

Philadelphia, PA

4:50.65

3

Sophia Meehan

Narbeth, PA

4:51.11

4

Jordan Bettiol

College Station, TX

4:56.96

5

Brinae Robinson

Baltimore, MD

4:58.23

6

Emily Cotterman-Reading

Terre Haute, IN

4:59.65

7

Ines Simoes

Newark, NJ

4:59.99

8

Jordan Chester

Valparaiso, IN

5:00.41

9

Heather Selheimer

Lansdale, PA

5:00.56

10

Sarah Rapp

Raleigh, NC

5:04.56

11

Grace Van-De-Grift

Valrico, FL

5:04.69

12

Sydney Williams

Suwanee, GA

5:05.87

13

Emilie Barton

Sterling, IL

5:06.36

14

Bria Philpot

Lithonia, GA

5:07.32

15

Alexis Dargenson

Marietta, GA

5:08.05

16

Michaela Kirk

Nashville, TN

5:08.36

17

Marybeth Strickland

Huntsville, AL

5:11.63

18

Shannon Klenke

Houston, TX

5:12.04

19

Halle Frey

Findlay, OH

5:14.45

20

Abigail Tankersley

Boerne, TX

5:14.94

21

Alexandria Ervin

Tulsa, OK

5:16.59

22

Rhavean King

Memphis, TN

5:17.30

23

Anna Bodin

Biloxi, MS

5:20.88

24

Crystal Wachob

Pensacola, FL

5:22.06

25

Barbaralee Ball

Nashville, TN

5:24.95

26

Maria Aguayo

Gonzales, TX

5:25.70

27

Kaitlin Moore

Marietta, OK

5:26.69

28

Rachel Greenberg

Thorofare, NJ

5:26.93

29

Kali Carney

Clermont, FL

5:27.72

30

Taylor Ahern

Marlton, NJ

5:27.88

31

Christina Crossman

Milwaukee, WI

5:28.41

32

Leah Krause

St. Charles, MO

5:29.66

33

Jordyn Becerra

Hammond, LA

5:33.06

34

Jahnell Horton

Aurora, IL

5:33.73

35

Carra Watts

Spring, TX

5:38.01

36

Cierra Hungerford

Painesville, OH

5:44.00

37

Patricia Taylor

Pensacola, FL

5:45.89

38

Celeste Simmons

Plainfield, NJ

5:49.74

39

Jill Moncla

Elizabeth City, NC

6:09.10




After the race, we had to take the obligitory picture at "The Rock"!




Friday was a day off between the 1500m and the 3000m races
(except for Dad and Uncle Jack's grueling workouts!)
Later that afternoon Mom, Carolyn, Greg and Matt arrived in town
to supplement the entourage!     So did the Schultzes!
Of course, only Uncle Jack would notice something funny
about the new hotel room number!




Sarah entered the 3000m race as the 10th seed.
Here she is making a big move in one of the early laps...




...and here she is at about the halfway point with 4 laps to go.




The rest, as they say, is history!
Incredibly, Sarah improved her previous best time
for the 3000m by 17.35 seconds to finish at 10:59.26 !!!
She also moved up 4 seed positions to finish in
6th place and earned a place on the medal podium!!!



Complete results for Youth Girls 3000m finals:


Place

Name

Hometown

Time

 

 

 

 

1

Gabrielle Anzalone

Grand Blanc, MI

10:37.81

2

Emily Cotterman-Reading

Terre Haute, IN

10:52.35

3

Jordan Chester

Valparaiso, IN

10:53.92

4

Heather Selheimer

Lansdale, PA

10:54.85

5

Grace Van-De-Grift

Valrico, FL

10:56.13

6

Sarah Rapp

Raleigh, NC

10:59.26

7

Emilie Barton

Sterling, IL

11:08.30

8

Michaela Kirk

Nashville, TN

11:08.64

9

Barbaralee Ball

Nashville, TN

11:17.78

10

Abigail Tankersley

Boerne, TX

11:17.97

11

Halle Frey

Findlay, OH

11:22.63

12

Mallory Abel

St. Charles, IL

11:25.27

13

Shannon Klenke

Houston, TX

11:25.64

14

Emily Bodin

Biloxi, MS

11:27.74

15

Crystal Wachob

Pensacola, FL

11:30.57

16

Anne Powell

Frederick, MD

11:34.51

17

Sydney Williams

Suwanee, GA

11:35.30

18

Alaina Redd

Midlothian, VA

11:36.59

19

Leah Krause

St. Charles, MO

11:45.59

20

Katie Flannery

Elgin, IL

12:04.66

21

Kali Carney

Clermont, FL

12:06.44

22

Jordyn Becerra

Hammond, LA

12:07.94

23

Christina Crossman

Milwaukee, WI

12:07.98

24

Ellie Arends

Austin, TX

12:19.60

25

Sofie Ingram

Boynton Beach. FL

12:21.25

26

Cierra Hungerford

Painesville, OH

12:28.04

27

Elana Minsberg

St. Paul, MN

12:28.27

28

Olivia Gean

Fort Smith, AR

12:34.37

29

Kaitlyn Heimos

Festus, MO

13:17.20

30

Jill Moncla

Elizabeth City, NC

13:27.43

--

Christian Simmons

Stafford, VA

DNF

--

Sophia Meehan

Narbeth, PA

DNF




Sarah's double Top 10 national finishes were celebrated at IHOP...




...where the happy kid ordered a Happy Face Pancake!



All that whipped cream and she won't gain an ounce!

Well now it's off to freshman track at Cardinal Gibbons and
looking forward to another Junior Olympics next year!    Stay tuned!







Cardinal Gibbons High School
Freshman year - 2007 Girls Cross Country


Could this be another "dream season" for the Crusaders of Cardinal Gibbons?






The answer to that question is a resounding...."YES!!!"

Here's a picture of the "A" team with the trophy for the statewide
featured meet, The 5-Stage, 8-Mile Relay held on September 15....
....this was the first of many awards for the team!





Sarah had a great freshman year in cross country and had her
best times when the spotlight shined the brightest....in the
conference finals, the regionals and the state finals!

She averaged 19:21.21 for those three important meets and
finished third in all three. Her PR of 19:10 in the conference
finals was the best 5K time for any freshman this year and
she was clearly the most accomplished Class of 2011 performer
in the 2007 NCHSAA Cross Country season!

Her upperclass teammates were equally impressive with senior
Heather Beichner taking first in all three and junior Molly Baker
taking second, second and fifth....almost a clean sweep of the
top 9 combined positions when it mattered most.......what a trio!
Appropriately, the girls were awarded with high post-season honors.
Check it out:  NC Cross Country Awards

Finally, the team was awarded with high honors from the coaches
and the atheletes from throughout the entire state....click on
the clouds to read more about these well deserved honors
that capped off yet another dream season at Cardinal Gibbons!








Okay Lady Crusaders, no time to rest....

Lets get those achey feet turned into happy feet because
indoor track season is right around the corner!!

              






Cardinal Gibbons High School
Freshman year - 2007/2008 Girls Indoor Track & Field


The indoor track & field season is more or less a practice session
for the outdoor track & field season which is held in the spring.
There were only 5 meets scheduled and 3 of them were cancelled.
Sarah only ran in one of the other two scheduled meets and ran a
12:08.84 in the 3200 meter event, good enough to qualify her for
the State Indoor Championship....click here for a preview.


In the 1A/2A/3A NCHSAA State Indoor Championship held on February 9, 2008
Sarah ran an 11:43.84 to place 3rd overall in the state in the 3200m.
Her time was also the fastest in the state for any freshman!
Click here to see all results.







Cardinal Gibbons High School
Freshman year - 2008 Girls Outdoor Track & Field


The Gibbons girls outdoor track & field team capped a strong season
with a state runner-up finish at Irwin Belk Track on the campus of
NC A & T on Friday, May 9, 2008.
Sarah contributed mightily to her teams' cause with strong 2nd place
finishes in the 1600m (5:16.62) and 3200m (11:38.24) runs.


In recapping Sarah's entire freshman year, one chart is worth a thousand words
as you can see below by her results from all three seasons:
Cross Country, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track.



WOW! What a Frosh!


Cross Country 5K


2A State Championships

November 3, 2007

Indoor T & F 3200M


1A,2A,3A State Championships

February 9, 2008

Outdoor T & F 1600 M


2A State Championships

May 9, 2008

Outdoor T & F 3200 M


2A State Championships

May 9, 2008

1) Heather Beichner (12)

    18:48.58

1) Lindsay Ester (12)

    11:31.21

1) Heather Beichner (12)

    4:57.05

1) Morgan Turner (11)

    11:35.53

2) Sarah Willingham (11)

    19:16.17

2) Caroline Kirby (12)

    11:33.71

2) Sarah Rapp (9)

    5:16.62

2) Sarah Rapp (9)

    11:38.24

3) Sarah Rapp (9)

    19:29.73

3) Sarah Rapp (9)

    11:43.84

3) Margaret O’Brien (11)

5:26.29

3) Halsey Merritt (11)

11:57.08

4) Morgan Turner (11)

19:41.07

4) Kristen Stout (9)

11:49.61

4) Leah Vaughn (12)

5:28.45

4) Molly Baker (11)

12:05.86

5) Molly Baker (11)

19:43.74

5) Kaitlyn Davis (10)

11:55.83

5) Kayla Schilly (12)

5:34.87

5) Kayla Schilly (12)

12:13.60

6) Tori Jones (12)

19:44.99

6) Molly Baker (11)

12:06.57

6) Julia Singley (9)

5:36.32

6) Kathryn Dispennette (11)

12:31.72

7) Mackinzie Robinson (9)

19:46.91

7) Kathryn Dispennette (11)

12:16.88

7) Tori Jones (12)

5:36.37

7) Katherine Shields (9)

12:36.41

8) Halsey Merritt (11)

19:51.34

8) Ganna Bowen (11)

12:26.92

8) Natalie Oshita (10)

5:36.76

8) Sarah Willingham (11)

12:43.22

9) Reanna Hawkins (11)

20:21.79

9) Katherine Shields (9)

12:30.91

9) Katherine Shields (9)

5:42.69

9) Brooke Kinsey (10)

12:53.02

10) Nayeli Talamantes (12)

20:22.65

10) Kaylin Royals (12)

12:37.58

10) Alex Tavenier (9)

5:44.53

10) Olivia Myers (10)

12:53.31



So what's next to cap off a great freshman year?
Summer vacation? Yeah, right!
Sarah decided to enter the USATF version of the Junior Olympics
this summer and what a trek it was!






The 2008 USATF Junior Olympics
Omaha, NE      July 22 - July 27, 2008





The Association Level

The North Carolina Association of the USATF held their qualifying meet
on the weekend of June 20-22, 2008 and what a busy weekend it was for Sarah!
On Friday night, Sarah won the 3000m race with a time of 10:59.37
to advance to the regionals. On Sunday, she qualified for the 1500m
with a time of 5:06.78 and for the 800m race with a time of 2:31.75,
thus becoming the only runner to advance to the Regionals in three different events!
Click here to see all Association results.




The Regional Level

Region 3 of the USATF (Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, NC, SC and Georgia)
held their qualifying meet in Rock Hill, SC on the weekend of July 11-13.
For the second year in a row, Sarah became regional champ of the 3000m by
besting her previous time by an amazing 22.43 seconds with a 10:36.94!
Although she improved her time in the 1500m by over seven seconds, her hopes
for a regional championship for the second year in a row in the 1500m were dashed
as she finished 2nd regionally by a mere 0.9 seconds....but of course she still
advanced to the nationals. ;)     Similarly, although she bettered her time in the
800m by over 4 seconds, her quest to become the only runner in the nation to compete
in three different distances came to an end....she did however, become one of only
five girls in the entire country to advance to the Nationals in two distances!
Click here to see all Regional results.

Here are a couple of action shots from the Regionals:


      




The National Level

The national level of the 2008 USATF Junior Olympics was held
in Omaha, NE during the week of July 22-27.
On Wednesday, 30 girls competed for the 12 positions in the 1500m final....Sarah ran
a sizzling PR of 4:50.49 against the national competition as she earned the #11 seed.
In the subsequent finals of the 1500m on Sunday, Sarah advanced two seeds and finished
9th nationally for her second consecutive Top 10 finish in the Junior Olympics 1500m race!

Better yet, sandwiched between those two races was the 3000m which was held on Saturday.
Sarah posted another PR with a 10:33.23 in the 3000m and for the second year in a row
had a Top 10 finish AND finished with a medal, this time for 5th place nationally!

Click here to see the 1500m national results.
Click here to see the 3000m national results.


Here are some action shots from the Nationals:


From the 1500m qualifier:

      


      




From the 3000m final:

      


      




From the 1500m final:

      




From the award ceremony:




      













Cardinal Gibbons High School
Sophomore year - 2008 Girls Cross Country


Sarah's sophomore cross country season began much the same as
her freshman season....with high team and individual expectations.
And neither were disappointed as Sarah led her team to the school's fourth
consecutive state title while capturing her first individual state title!







On your mark...





In the lead...





State Champions!!!





Top 10 individuals:





Uncle Jack likes it!





State Champ!

            





Cardinal Gibbons High School
Sophomore year - 2008/2009 Girls Indoor Track & Field


The indoor season was also very rewarding as Sarah captured another state title,
this time for the 3200m. She also had a 4th place finish in the 1600m and earned
15 of her team's 23 points at the state meet.








Cardinal Gibbons High School
Sophomore year - 2009 Girls Outdoor Track & Field


Immediately after the indoor season ended, Sarah opted for knee surgery to relieve
chronic pain she had been experiencing for the past year. Even the doctors wondered how
she performed at such a high level prior to the procedure.
Not content to just sit out the outdoor season, re-hab and get ready for next fall's
cross country season, Sarah ran enough races to qualify for the outdoor state meet.
Remarkably, in a 12-week post-op condition, she still managed a 3rd and 4th place showing
in the 1600m and 3200m finals respectively.....Oh,if only she had 3 more weeks to rehab...


Notwithstanding, Sarah had a great sophomore year as indicated in the chart showing
her results from all three seasons: Cross Country, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track.
Perhaps more impressive than the level of Sarah's results is the fact that no other
runner even qualified and/or finished in the Top 10 of more than 3 of the 5 events shown!




The Sensational Sophomore!


Cross Country 5K


2A State Championships

November 1, 2008

Indoor T & F 1600M


Combined 1A,2A,3A

State Championships

February 14, 2009

Indoor T & F 3200M


Combined 1A,2A,3A

State Championships

February 14, 2009

Outdoor T & F 1600 M


2A State Championships

May 22, 2009

Outdoor T & F 3200 M


2A State Championships

May 22, 2009

1) Sarah Rapp (10)

    19:30.36

1) Laura Hoer (11)

5:18.27

1) Sarah Rapp (10)

    11:46.85

1) Halsey Merritt (12)

5:16.82

1) Halsey Merritt (12)

11:46.64

2) M. Robinson (10)

19:54.84

2) Kenyetta Iyevbele (11)

5:20.37

2) Marie Mauhar (10)

11:48.88

2) Emily Wirzba (12)

5:21.17

2) Laura Hamon (9)

11:52.12

3) Emily Wirzba (12)

19:57.28

3) Marie Mauhar (10)

5:21.18

3) Emily Wirzba (12)

11:58.65

3) Sarah Rapp (10)

5:23.74

3) M. Robinson (10)

11:56.72

4) Halsey Merritt (12)

20:04.13

4) Sarah Rapp (10)

5:23.29

4) Sarah Hope (11)

12:04.50

4) Kathrine Shields (10)

5:30.72

4) Sarah Rapp (10)

12:01.57

5) Catie Byrd (9)

20:09.39

5) Ryanna Henderson (12)

5:26.68

5) Hunter Latimer (9)

12:04.53

5) Grace Turner (9)

5:30.80

5) Ashley Kale (11)

12:16.67

6) Morgan Turner (12)

20:11.96

6) Halsey Merritt (12)

5:29.27

6) Lucy Love (12)

12:05.15

6) Kristina Witcher (12)

5:31.18

6) K. Ellsworth (10)

12:21.41

7) Kristina Witcher (12)

20:19.51

7) Erin McGuirk (10)

5:32.26

7) Erin McGuirk (10)

12:08.60

7) Kiersten Ellsworth (10)

5:33.41

7) Katherine Shields (10)

12:31.04

8) Laura Hamon (9)

20:26.91

8) Kristen Stout (10)

5:34.70

8) Molly Baker (12)

12:09.16

8) Alescia Reece (10)

5:35.06

8) Cynthia Griffin (10) 12:32.21

9) K.Dispennette (12)

20:38.79

9) Katie Pellitteri (11)

5:38.41

9) Faith Trammell

12:14.12

9) Ashley Kale (11)

5:37.22

9) Abby Fuquay (11)

12:45.14

10) Molly Baker (12)

20:47.81

10) Danneille Hobbs (11)

5:39.18

10) Cynthia Griffin (10)

12:16.69

10) Brooke Johnson (12)

5:48.59

10) Olivia Myers (11)

12:47.89




Sarah's successful sophomore season was capped off with an appearance
in a regional high school sport publication called "VYPE Magazine".
Who knew my niece was a diva and a centerfold?!!









            





Cardinal Gibbons High School
Junior year - 2009 Girls Cross Country


Sarah's junior cross country season was highlighted
by her teams' dominating run through the conference and
regional meets. The team placed 2nd at the state meet,
breaking their 4-year team title streak, however, Sarah
was able to capture her second consecutive individual state title!


Regionals:

         



States:

The field!




The lead pack!                                                The leader!

               



The Top 10 individuals




Gibbons girls: State runner up!




State Champ! It's a Rapp repeat!

            






Cardinal Gibbons High School
Junior year - 2009/2010 Girls Indoor Track & Field



Sarah was in a "zone" at the indoor track state meet as she lived up to her
#1 seedings in the 1600m and 3200m, sweeping both and claiming her 2nd and 3rd
state titles of the year!   She also entered the 1000m race as the #5 seed
and took 2nd place by less than a mere 1.5 seconds.   Sarah earned 28 of her teams'
42 points and was awarded tournament MVP for her efforts.


NCHSAA Indoor State Championships
February 20, 2010
1600m

            




NCHSAA Indoor State Championships
February 20, 2010
3200m

            




NCHSAA Indoor State Championships
February 20, 2010
1000m

            












Cardinal Gibbons High School
Junior year - 2010 Girls Outdoor Track & Field



Sarah's outdoor season capped a perfect year as "The Junior Juggernaut" remained
undefeated in distance races at state meets, winning her 4th and 5th state titles
of the year as she cruised to victory in the outdoor 1600m and outdoor 3200m:


NCHSAA Outdoor State Championships
May 21, 2010
1600m

In the 1600m race, Sarah distances herself from the pack and finishes alone while
setting a PR of 5:04.10, beating the nearest competitor by over 12 seconds and just
missing the state meet record of 5:02.40.......wait 'til next year!

            





NCHSAA Outdoor State Championships
May 21, 2010
3200m

In the 3200m race, Sarah set another PR of 11:00.10 and beat
the nearest competitor, incredibly, by over 29 seconds!



            









It's a clean sweep for "The Junior Juggernaut"!



The Junior Juggernaut!


Cross Country 5K


3A State Championships

November 7, 2009

Indoor T & F 1600M


Combined 1A,2A,3A

State Championships

February 20, 2010

Indoor T & F 3200M


Combined 1A,2A,3A

State Championships

February 20, 2010

Outdoor T & F 1600 M


3A State Championships

May 21, 2010

Outdoor T & F 3200 M


3A State Championships

May 21, 2010

1) Sarah Rapp (11)

19:29.50

1) Sarah Rapp (11)

5:19.31

1) Sarah Rapp (11)

11:39.15

1) Sarah Rapp (11)

5:04.10

1) Sarah Rapp (11)

11:00.10

2) Beth Hanson (11)

19:36.36

2) Danneille Hobbs (12)

5:21.10

2) F. Dougherty (12)

11:50.42

2) Destiny Kirkman (12)

5:16.76

2) Erin McGuirk (11)

11:29.17

3) Jamie Vezolles (10)

19:44.18

3) Taryn Stern (11)

5:33.23

3) Nicole Esplin (12)

11:51.86

3) Erin McGuirk (11)

5:17.88

3) Megan McLeod (12)

11:36.38

4) Megan McLeod (12)

19:44.78

4) Julia Singley (11)

5:33.30

4) Erin McGuirk (11)

12:20.04

4) Jentzen Jones (10)

5:18.12

4) Kiersten Ellsworth (11)

11:45.64

5) Tristan Van Ord (9)

19:55.88

5) Samiiah Wilson (9)

5:33.81

5) Carmen Hilliard (9)

12:23.94

5) Samiaah Wilson (9)

5:18.17

5) Chelsea Matson (11)

11:49.94

6) Sara-Jane Kerwin (11)

20:00.38

6) Erin McGuirk (11)

5:36.18

6) Christina Ferris (12)

12:26.20

6) Kiersten Ellsworth (11)

5:19.59

6) Beth Hanson (11)

11:57.39

7) Erin McGirk (11)

20:00.91

7) Chelsea Matson (11)

5:38.47

7) Laney Browder (9)

12:28.06

7) Danneille Hobbs (12)

5:20.24

7) Nicole Esplin (12)

11:59.92

8) Teal McLean (12)

20:01.80

8) Laney Browder (9)

5:39.57

8) Krista Rosenquest (9)

12:30.40

8) Tristen Van Ord (9)

5:20.92

8) Ailish Dwyer (9)

12:13.94

9) Ahna Weeks (11)

20:05.18

9) Carmen Hilliard (9)

5:40.57

9) Callie Turlington (12)

12:33.50

9) Carmen Hilliard (9)

5:22.19

9) Audrey Garrett (11)

12:18.13

10) M. Robinson (11)

20:06.46

10) Keeley Wood (12)

5:41.99

10) Cynthia Griffin (11)

12:33.66

10) Haley Kapheim (12)

5:22.36

10) Sierra Hagl (12)

12:26.90








Sarah's Summer of Gold


Sarah's summer track season picked up right where her "Junior Juggernaut"
high school season ended. Looking forward to her third and fourth Junior Olympics,
she "tuned up" with the 2010 State Games of North Carolina and the New Balance
Nationals, setting PR's in both events!



From New Balance Nationals:
Greensboro, NC
June 17-19, 2010


      

      





Heading into the ESPN RISE Games (the AAU Team Junior Olympics) with great confidence,
Sarah did not disappoint. The temperature at the ESPN Wide World of Sports venue in
Kissimmee, FL was sizzling and so was Sarah's performance as she won the 3000m
in convincing fashion, shattering the old meet record by 12 seconds and beating
her nearest competitor by an incredible 1:08! (that's 1 minute and 8 seconds!)
Her national meet record time of 10:14.28 also blew away her previous PR.

Two days later, in the same blistering Florida sun and heat, Sarah captured the
1500m title with another PR time of 4:44.56 and in the process became
a double distance Junior Olympic National Champion!



From the ESPN RISE Games:
(AAU Junior Olympic Club Championships)
July 12-18, 2010


      

      

      






The individual 2010 AAU Junior Olympics were held in Norfolk and the Virginia heat
produced similar results!  In the 1500m race with a time of 4:48.34, Sarah claimed
the bronze medal despite being boxed in terribly during the early stages of the race.
In the 3000m race (10:28.42) she was in charge from "gun to wire" as she claimed
her 3rd gold medal of the summer and continued her Junior Olympics streak
to six straight medal performances!

In eight overall Junior Olympic appearances dating back to 2007, Sarah has had two
Top 10 finishes and six medal finishes, including this summers' 3 golds!
WOW!



From 2010 AAU Junior Olympics:
Norfolk, VA
August 2-8, 2010


      

      


Check out "Sarah's Summer Of Gold" on YouTube by clicking here.




Cardinal Gibbons High School
Senior year - 2010 Girls Cross Country


Through the first four regular season Coaches Polls, the Gibbons Girls
played 2nd fiddle to the Chapel Hill squad....until it meant something!

Sarah and her teammates finally overcame the Chapel Hill squad in the
NCHSAA 3A Regionals as Sarah put down a PR of 18:12.30 and the team edged
their rivals by a slim 5-point margin to win the regionals.

That big win would set the stage for an exciting State Meet.
Sarah's winning time of 18:29.00 in the state meet beat her nearest competitor by
more than 24 seconds and helped her capture her 3rd straight individual state title!
Better yet, the team rallied to beat Chapel Hill for the second straight meet and
in the process they captured their 3rd team state championship in 4 years!


Regionals:

         



States:

Out front....FAST!




The leader!

               



State Champs....again!




State Champ! It's a Rapp 3-peat!






Read all about it!





So what does a graduating senior with three team titles and three
indivdual state titles do for an encore in the cross country circuit?

How about running in the prestigious Foot Locker 5K Race
and not only set a new PR but also break the coveted 18:00 mark
and establish a new school record for a 5K race all in one swoop!



17:55.00!

















Cardinal Gibbons High School
Senior year - 2010/2011 Girls Indoor Track & Field


The normally slow indoor season started out with a bang
this year as Sarah was interviewed for a segment on the
local NBC station in Raleigh...

(click on the NBC logo below or here to see the video interview)


...and it finished with an even bigger bang as Sarah had a
State Finals meet that most can only dream about...


On Feb. 12, 2011 at the 1A/2A/3A NCHSAA Indoor State Meet,
Sarah successfully defended her 1600m and 3200m titles by winning both.
(The win in the 3200m was actually a 3-peat but who's counting!)

She also pulled off the very rare distance triple by winning the 1000m race
in dramatic photo finish fashion. By far, the closet state race ever for Sarah.

For her efforts she was named MVP of the meet for the second straight year.

She also earned 30 of her teams' 36 points and almost single handedly led the
Gibbons girls to their second team title of the year and to it's first-ever
Indoor State Championship!


1600m                                            3200m             

         



1000m: A photo finish....with the next NCHSAA 3A phenom?

                  



                  State Champs...again!                        A quad-Gold, MVP day!

                



After the meet, Sarah was interviewed by "NCRunners / Milesplit" where she
revealed the much anticipated plans for her future track and cross country career!
(click on the NC Runners logo below or here to see the video interview)




Signing Day - February 14, 2011





         


Rapp Family Trip To VT - April 2011





         


         


                  









Cardinal Gibbons High School
Senior year - 2011 Outdoor Track & Field


Entering the 2011 State Outdoor meet, the Gibbons' girls had a chance
to make history with a complete 3-season sweep as they already held
the State Cross Country and the State Indoor Meet team championships!

Sarah also had a chance to sweep all individual distance titles for
the second year in a row if she could secure the 1600m and 3200m races.

Having helped her relay team win the 4x400 state title earlier in the day,
Sarah's stamina was not an issue as she defended her titles in the 1600m
and the 3200m to complete her career dominance of the distance events by
going UNDEFEATED FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS in events of 1600m or more!

Despite her amazing individual efforts in the meet, the team fell just short
of capturing the team title by a mere 6 points and finished with a strong
2nd place team finish...not a bad year though...1st, 1st and 2nd in team titles
with Sarah capturing 6 individual titles and contributing to 1 relay title!



4x400m Relay:

         


1600m:




         








3200m:
Click here to see the video of Sarah's final high school lap!





It's ANOTHER clean sweep for "The Sizzlin' Senior"!
(this time an unprecedented 6 individual state distance titles in one year!)



The Sizzlin’ Senior!


Cross Country 5K


3A State Championships

November 6, 2010

Indoor T & F 1600M


Combined 1A,2A,3A

State Championships

February 12, 2011

Indoor T & F 3200M


Combined 1A,2A,3A

State Championships

February 12, 2011

Indoor T & F 1000M


Combined 1A,2A,3A

State Championships

February 12, 2011

Outdoor T & F 1600 M


3A State Championships

May 13, 2011

Outdoor T & F 3200 M


3A State Championships

May 13, 2011

1) Sarah Rapp (12)

18:29.00

1) Sarah Rapp (12)

5:14.63

1) Sarah Rapp (12)

11:27.59

1) Sarah Rapp (12)

3:06.43

1) Sarah Rapp (12)

5:07.05

1) Sarah Rapp (12)

11:03.44

2) Blake Dodge (9)

18:53.97

2) Alesia Reece (12)

5:23.23

2) K. Stout (12)

11:45.92

2) Blake Dodge (9)

3:06.47

2) J. Jones (11)

5:12.25

2) Tristan Van Ord (10)

11:30.01

3) M. Emory (12)

19:11.00

3) C. Hilliard (10)

5:24.60

3) M. Price (10)

11:48.05

3) E. Shields (12)

3:06.92

3) C. Hilliard (10)

5:14.12

3) C. Matson (12)

11:34.69

4) Erin McGuirk (12)

19:12.08

4) K. Shields (12)

5:26.59

4) Alesia Reece (12)

11:49.94

4) J. Verzolles (11)

3:08.77

4) M. Corcoran (9)

5:17.26

4) K. Ruehl (10)

11:38.61

5) S. Kerwin (12)

19:12.27

5) S. Wilson (10)

5:27.75

5) Emily Vance (9)

11:58.59

5) S. Martin (12)

3:16.34

5) R. Johnson (10)

5:18.28

5) M. Price (10)

11.45.51

6) J. Jones (11)

19:18.73

6) C. Matson (12)

5:29.22

6) C. Matson (12)

12:00.80

6) E. Latimer (10)

3:18.24

6) S. Wilson (10)

5:19.88

6) Erin McGuirk (12)

11:48.79

7) Tristan Van Ord (10)

19:24.13

7) K. Stout (12)

5:34.90

7) Megan Cuomo (11)

12:08.22

7) Taryn Stern (12)

3:18.42

7) K. Ellsworth (12)

5:20.45

7) K. Ellsworth (12)

11:53.30

8) Beth Hanson (12)

19:27.19

8) Emily Vance (9)

5:37.34

8) C. Hilliard (10)

12:12.63

8) C. Colo (11)

3:19.27

8) R. Bartolomeo (9)

5:22.16

8) A. Dwyer (10)

11:58.71

9) S. Wilson (10)

19:28.83

9) M. Simmons (10)

                           5:40.99

9) M. Simmons (10)

12:17.76

9) B. Fritz (11)

3:19.58

9) Erin McGuirk (12)

5:22.46

9) Megan Cuomo (11)

11:59.00

10) K. Ellsworth (12)

19:29.62

10) A. Kessenich (9)

5:49.07

10) A. Dwyer (10)

12:25.29

10) K. Harrison (10)

3:23.43

10) Emma Moore (10)

5:24.27

10) Beth Hanson (12)

12:00.02