Veronica Schabbing, Central cross country

Central junior Veronica Schabbing might have already achieved everything most high school runners only dream about by earning all-state honors by her sophomore year.

Still, she just keeps improving and helping her Tigers' team, which has won eight consecutive district titles, build a stronger resume.

This past weekend, Schabbing, better known by her teammates and friends as "Ronny," finished second in the Hancock Invitational in Jefferson Barracks Park in St. Louis County with a time of 19 minutes and 57 seconds. She helped Central earn a first-place team finish in Class 4 for the first time in the school's history.

"That course really takes it out of kids and on that hot day most weren't smiling at the end of the day but she said she couldn't wait to get back there for sectionals," Tigers' coach Mark Hahn said. "That's not the normal thing you hear from a kid. … She's one of the toughest hill runners I've ever coached if not the toughest."

Hahn said Schabbing was the only member of his team who beat her time from the previous Saturday when the Tigers competed on their home course. She also tied her fastest time (PR) from last year and she was also the only Central runner to do that, too.

"We thought we had excellent performances across the board from all our kids Saturday so for her to be the only one to accomplish that, it's pretty significant," Hahn said. "She's as hard a worker as you'll find and she does everything she's asked to do as well as she can do it."