Staff Report
Harwood senior Ava Thurston was named the 2021-22 Gatorade Vermont Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year on Thursday.
Thurston is the first girls runner at HU to receive the prestigious award, which recognizes outstanding athletic excellence and also also standards of academic achievement and exemplary character.
The 5-foot-6 senior raced to the Division II individual state championship this past season with a time of 19 minutes, 29.4 seconds, leading the Highlanders to the state title as a team. The feat gave coach John Kerrigan’s program its 11th state girls title in 13 years.
Thurston won the state’s Meet of Champions in 18:24.1 and placed third at the New England Championships. Her efforts helped the Highlanders placed fifth among all teams in New England. She also broke the tape at the Manchester Invitational, the Burlington Invitational and the Harwood Invitational.
Also a talented Nordic skier, Thurston was recently one of the top finishers during sprint qualifications at the U.S. National Championships in Utah. Last year she was one of the top U.S. skiers during World Junior Championships in Europe.
The multi-sport standout is active with the Harwood Peace Alliance and has volunteered locally on behalf of her school’s chapter of the Rooted Organizing Community.
“Ava is the first runner in the history of Vermont High School cross country to win the girls Division II championship in four consecutive years,” Harwood coach John Kerrigan said. “What sets her apart, however, is that her No. 1 concern has always been the finish of her team.”
Thurston has maintained a 3.87 GPA in the classroom. She remains undecided upon a collegiate destination.
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