Chastain, Howell tabbed as Runners of the Year

FORT WALTON BEACH – Fort Walton Beach’s Ivy Chastain and Niceville’s Thomas Howell did what great athletes often do in the 2011 cross country season. They made the difficult seem easy, sometimes effortless.

But this past season was very much a learning experience for Chastain and Howell, who were operating in uncharted territory for the first time in their prep careers. Race strategy was simpler last season, and the years before. They would pace themselves with a slightly faster teammate and just do their best to keep up until the final kick.

This season, Chastain and Howell set their own paces.

And what paces they set.

In an area rich with running talent, Chastain and Howell reigned supreme, earning the title of All Sports Association/Daily News Runners of the Year.

Chastain capped an impressive junior year with a ninth-place finish at the Class 3A FHSAA Finals. She ran an impressive time of 18:26 on a grueling course and led her team to a fifth place finish in Lake City.

She also ran a personal-best time of 18:12 at the Panhandle Cross Country Championship this season, finished first at the Gulf Coast Stampede and took fourth overall at regional before putting up an impressive performance at state.

Chastain is what her coach Lissette Moller-Fields calls a “social runner.” So learning to set her own pace made for some lonely, but extremely fast miles for Chastain.

“This year was a lot different than any other year because I had to learn to be a front runner,” Chastain said. “It was a lot different. I didn't have a lot of strategy because this was my first year doing it. I just kind of went out there and gave it my best every race and hoped it worked out.”

Niceville’s Marsel Mosley, last year’s Daily News girls’ Runner of the Year, certainly made her case for the award as well. The junior outkicked Chastain at the Okaloosa County Championship and the District 1-3A meet to get two late season head-to-head wins over her familiar foe.

But Mosley struggled at regions and was hampered by illness at state while Chastain thrived.

Chastain defeated Mosley four times in seven head-to-head meetings this year and has an appreciation for the Niceville standout.

“I was glad to have her. She pushed me a lot through a lot of the races, even if she beat me in the race it wasn’t that big of a deal because I knew that I still ran a good race because she was there.”

Moller-Fields had big expectations for Chastain this season.

“We knew with Ivy she was going to unleash the beast,” Moller-Fields said.

“She was going into the season with no upperclassmen ahead of her and she could just run her race. She gets to just go, and that’s exactly what happened.”

A year after claiming the Runner of the Year award as a freshman, Howell is back to collect the award his sophomore year.

Howell ran a personal-best time of 15:29 this season at the Region 1-3A meet that he placed first at. He won his district, the county title and every race he ran in this season, except the FSU Invitational, where he finished second by just over three seconds.

Despite a blazing PR and countless first place finishes, Howell was left to wonder “what if?” after failing to finish the race at state due to an asthma attack.

“It was very frustrating because I worked so hard and for it to be taken away for something as small as an asthma attack …” Howell said. “I’ve never had a legit asthma attack. I worked so hard for that race and just for it to be taken away by that is demoralizing.”

Howell was insistent that his teammate and friend Nick Morken, who placed 17th at state, was deserving of this year’s award, though the statistics told another story.

Like Chastain, this season was a series of trials and tribulations as far as strategy went for Howell.

“I’m so used to being around tough competition, I usually just pace off and go,” Howell said. “But this year I had to pace off myself and it was a lot different, but I realized I really need to pace myself and save up for the last mile and really just push it the entire race.”

Niceville coach Tom Durrenberger explained there is no secret to Howell’s success.

“Of all the people that work at cross country, nobody works harder than Thomas Howell,” Durrenberger said.

“There’s people that work as hard, but nobody works harder.”

All-Area Cross Country

Boys Runner of the Year: Thomas Howell, Niceville

Girls Runner of the Year: Ivy Chastain, FWB

Coach of the Year: Lissette Moller-Fields, FWB

Girls

First Team

Ivy Chastain, FWB

Marsel Mosley, Niceville

Sara Steele, Choctaw

Theressa Johnson, Freeport

Casey Evans, Choctaw

Rhianna Moller, FWB

Kathryn Russell, FWB

Autumn White, FWB

Baker: Anna Scott.

Choctawhatchee: Sarah Fraser, Skyler McSheehy, Allison Bilbrey, Marisa Halprin.

Crestview: Katrina Silva.

Freeport: Hollie Urquhart, Megan Salzlein, Sylvia Sagraves, Emily Rice, Jenna Batson.

Fort Walton Beach: April Polite, Kayla Rogers, Tina deVaux, Myelicia Rodgers, Erin Carbine, Ashley Barlotta.

Navarre: Charlee Beckett, Elle Crouse, Andraya Mendez, Gianna Gambera, Gabrielle Abrams, Chelsea Pena, Sierra Boston, Madison Sumerlin.

Niceville: Regan McAllister, Annie Serpa, Anna Herrera, Alise Snyders, Haley Smith, Alix Bikker, Lauren O’Quinn, Brittany Skaehill, Mady Freeman, Trendi Gulley, Kelsey Moser-Porter.

Paxton: Shaleigh Geoghagan, Shania Purchase, Shelby Cain, Bethany Neale.

Rocky Bayou Christian: None.

South Walton: Alex Weiner, Allysa Bump, Darcy Godwin, Kaley Findley, Ali Hogenson, Hannah Neel.

Walton: None.

Boys

First Team

Thomas Howell, Niceville

Nick Morken, Niceville

Alex Godfrey, FWB

Joe Guidry, FWB

David Van Steenbergen, Choctaw

Dylan Scott, Baker

Charlie Shackleford, FWB

Tim Bulger, FWB

Baker: None.

Choctawhatchee: Sean White, Quinten Moton, Christian Saludez, Chris West.

Crestview: Connor Marshall, Tyler Mitchell, Brandon Johnson.

Freeport: Cody Yelvington.

Fort Walton Beach: Tyler Fabacher, Cameron Sanchez, Joel Chastain, Demery Benedict, Brian Sartz. Brian Day.

Navarre: Trent Beck, James Mullin, Tanner Wilcox, Jack Millward, Zack Witt.

Niceville: Caden Ewing, Jake Everitt, Brad Fenn, Ian Howard, Adam Nodjomian, Michael Patrick, J.P. Talty, Jack Massey, Tripp Davis, Blake Hartzog, Brayton Miles, Matt Nelson, George Underwood, Tristan Vanatter, Brian Fields, Malcolm Mosley, Evan Fleischmann, Mike Olson, Josh Weed, Conner Alexander, Oliver James.

Paxton: Derrick Foley, Jackson Dixon, Forrest Wibbing, Caleb Davis, Hailey Middleton, Jared Cain.

Rocky Bayou Christian: Nathan Riess.

South Walton: Jacob Leuze, Trey LaNasa, Jake Gritzmacher, Wade Howard, Cullen Chandler, Ben Hartbarger, Cody Pickren.

Walton: Keith Pannell.

Follow Pat Flynn on Twitter: @PatFnwfdn