Maria Hauger Named Gatorade MN Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year

Maria Hauger,  junior, has been named 2011-2012 Minnesota Girls Cross County Runner of the year by Gatorade in collaboration with ESPN HS.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the racecourse, distinguishes Hauger as Minnesota’s best high school girls cross country runner.

Hauger is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced in later this month.

The 5-foot-4 Hauger won the Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional championships this past season with a time of 17:52.7, qualifying for the 2011 Nike Cross Nationals Final, where she finished 24th. A three-time First Team All-State selection, Hauger also placed fifth at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional championships with a time of 17:40, earning a spot in the national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, where she finished 21st in 18:07. Hauger was the only female competitor in the nation to crack the top 25 at both Foot Locker Nationals and the NXN Final. She also won her third straight Class AA individual state championship, breaking the tap in 14:01.1 and leading the Sabers to fourth place as a team.

Hauger has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. 

"Maria Hauger is the hardest-working athlete I have ever coached," said Shakopee High School head coach Mark Neu. "She is as humble as can be, a class act and she had another outstanding season."