FACES IN THE CROWD
Will Knight | Smyrna, Del. | Football
Will, a junior running back at Smyrna High, rushed 13 times for 180 yards and scored 24 points in a 56--16 win over Cape Henlopen High that clinched the Henlopen Athletic Conference's North Division title. Last year he was named the Delaware offensive player of the year, finishing with 2,015 yards and 33 touchdowns on 226 carries.
Anna Sophia Keller | Effingham, Ill. | Cross-country
Anna Sophia, a senior at St. Anthony High, claimed her fourth straight Class 1A state title with a 16:32.0 finish at Detweiller Park in Peoria, where she set the three-mile course record last year (16:21.0). The third runner in state history to four-peat, she won the triple crown (state titles in cross-country, 1,600 and 3,200 meters) as a sophomore and a junior.
Clayton Grueneich | Ellendale, N.D. | Football
Clayton, a junior running back and defensive end for Ellendale/Edgeley-Kulm, rushed for 343 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Thunder to a 42--20 victory over Des Lacs--Burlington High and the program's first state title. The Class A player of the year, he finished with 2,591 yards and 35 TDs on 280 carries with 35 tackles and seven sacks.
Elena Oglivie | Honolulu | Volleyball
Elena, a 5'10" freshman outside hitter at the 'Iolani School, had a match-high 23 kills with 22 digs in the Division I state final, a 3--1 win over the defending champion Kamehameha Schools--Kapālama. In a 3--1 semifinal victory over No. 1 Kahuku High, she had 25 kills and 17 digs. Elena was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Patrick Tiernan | Toowoomba, Australia | Cross-country
Tiernan, a senior at Villanova, took the NCAA title in Terre Haute, Ind., completing the 10K course in 29:22.0 to win by 5.3 seconds and upset three-time defending champion Edward Cheserek of Oregon, who came in third. The team's first four-time All-America, Tiernan represented Australia in the 5K at the Rio Olympics.
Katherine Lee | Wading River, N.Y. | Cross-country
Katherine, a junior at Shoreham--Wading River High, won the 34th Brown University Northeast Championship 5K in a meet-record 16:45.5, the second-fastest time in the nation this season. She went on to win the Class B state championship in 17:53.7, leading the Wildcats to a second state team title.
Nominate Now
To submit a candidate for Faces in the Crowd, email faces@simail.com For more on outstanding amateur athletes, follow @SI_Faces on Twitter.
