This past week Heather Holt pulled off the double victory. First she took home the Monroe Parker (2.98miles) title in a blistering 17:27 and days after took home the performance of the week poll with a whopping 3,237 votes. For both of these accomplishments she is our athlete spotlight of the week.
Flashback to 2014 and Heather was frankly just a number in the crowd... we are sure her coaches knew something but no one else knew how good she really was.
She opened her high school 5K career with a solid 20:14 performance at Oatlands to take 9th but it was a could weeks later at Octoberfest that she jumped into the spotlight.
In that race, her and her twin sister Ashley sprinted down the home stretch stride for stride and actually were holding hands as they easily crossed the line in 18:38 as freshmen. That race was just the beginning and her and her sister quickly became the athletes to beat in 5A.
The season would ultimately lead to them both dominating the majority of the state meet and Heather crossing the line in 18:02 for the state crown.
Her sophomore campaign was even stronger but surely not what Heather wanted. She began as she usually did with the Monroe Parker Invitational. She took home title after titles and entered the state meet as a big favorite and undefeated against 5A competition.
She took to the Great Meadow course like a champion. She opened in 5:40 and followed that with a 6:00 second mile to hit the two mile mark at 11:40. She was alone at a mile but by the second mile, fellow sophomore Emma Wolcott had pulled even.
The entered the fields even but with the late push Emma Wolcott took Heather's title from her. She finished second in 18:36.
It would have been easy for Heather to beat herself up for that loss but she pulled herself up right away and came back to run a PR at Foot Locker South with a 17:46 11th place finish. Just 6 seconds away from a Foot Locker National bid but the best amongst all sophomores in the South Region.
The 2016 season though has been a very different one. She is obviously on a mission to prove she is not only one of the best runners in 5A but the entire nation. She is already doing a great job of that just two meets in.
Breaking away from tradition she opened her season up this year in August at The Great Meadow Invite, almost three weeks earlier than any other season. She of course performed very well and finished as the top VA competitor in 17:58 to take over the state lead.
Just two weeks later she was back in action at Monroe Parker where she crossed the line in 17:27 to destroy her competition on the Burke Lake Park 2.98mile course. Both times being well ahead of her normal pace.
These are very good signs so far this season but she is going to have her work cut out for her. A lot of questions remain on the table but one thing is for sure, Heather Holt is in her best shape ever for XC and is coming to regain her 5A crown and earn a bid to San Diego this season.
