ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Brittany Ballard

School: Cape Central

Sport: Cross Country

Coach: Mark Hahn

This season: Ballard, a freshman, has exploded on the scene as the Tigers' second-best runner behind senior Myka Bohnsack. She established herself with a solid finish at the Hancock Invitational, came close with a second-place finish at the SEMO Conference meet two weeks ago and broke through with a victory at the district meet last week.

Week report: Ballard won the Class 4A District 1 girls cross country race Saturday with a time of 20:01 at Jackson City Park. She beat the second-place finisher, Jackson's Julie Wunderlich by 21 seconds and beat Bohnsack -- who finished third while suffering from illness and shin splints -- for the first time this season.

Coach's comments: "It was the first time she has beaten Myka, but she has been pressing her." Ballard is a natural runner. "When you watch her run, she doesn't waste any energy. All of her motion goes forward."