It was the kind of season many cross country runners would love to go out on, but Lawrence High School’s Erzsebet Nagy is just getting started.

In her first year of competition, Nagy won the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championship, the Eastern Maine Class A title, and finished second at the Class A state meet.

“I wanted to have a strong season,” Nagy said.

For her efforts, Nagy is the Morning Sentinel’s Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Waterville’s Bethanie Brown also was considered.

Nagy’s time of 18 minutes, 59.82 seconds at the Class A state meet was the second fastest time of the day, behind only Class A state champ Abby Leonardi of Kennebunk (18:27.19).

“Abby’s in a class all her own, so to take second (at states) was great,” Nagy said.

A former soccer player, Nagy decided to make the switch to cross country even before she placed third in the 800 meters at the Class A outdoor track and field championships in June.

“She’s been running for a few years,” Sandor Nagy, Erzsebet’s father and Lawrence girls cross country coach, said. “This is kind of a natural transition… We had no idea how it was going to go.”

“I started really liking running,” Nagy said.

Nagy’s time of 18:51.25 to win the Eastern Maine Class A title in Belfast was more than a minute and a half better than second place Teresa Murphy (20:34.81) of Brunswick. At the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A meet at Cony High School, on a day no other runner cracked 21:30, Nagy won with a time of 19:55.8.

At the Festival of Champions meet in Belfast on Oct. 1, Nagy placed second to Leonardi with a time of 19:02.42. The Festival of Champions is a midseason meet with the feel of a postseason race, and was a good measuring stick for Nagy.

“She’s got very good technique. She’s got a very nice stride. She’s just a strong athlete all around,” Coach Nagy said. “As time progressed, she knew she’d be winning most races.”

Other than the times she faced Leonardi, Nagy lost just once all season, to Brown, at Maine Central Institute. Nagy opened the season with a strong showing in the 2.4-mile Laliberte preseason meet at Cony, winning the girls race with a time of 15:30.2.

“I was so exhausted (after the race), but I felt so good,” Nagy said. “I was really proud of myself.”

One of Nagy’s strengths is her mental approach to running. Nagy said she made sure to focus on each race, and did not look ahead toward the big meets at the end of the season.

“I try not to think too far ahead. I just run, and whatever happens, happens,” Nagy said. “I always get really nervous before meets. I think experience helped. I was more worked up early in the season.”

Nagy said she prefers hilly courses, such as the one at Cony where she won the Laliberte and the KVAC meet.

“I like the ups and downs,” Nagy said.

Just a junior, Nagy hopes to build off this strong season and contend for the state title next fall. Chances are, the only downs she’ll be on are a hilly course.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

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