First Baptist Christian School sixth grader Gabrielle Jennings is the Class C 2009 Cross Country State Champion for a second-straight year.

She captured the three-mile event in 20:08.3 Tuesday at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.

Jennings said it was tough this year with it being cold. When asked if this one was better than last year’s, she said she liked last year’s better.

Gabrielle Jennings

“I ran a faster time and because it was my first-time doing it and it felt really new,” Jennings said.

Jennings won by nearly two-and-a-half minutes with Grace Christian’s Roxanne Pope coming in second at 22:27.8.

Jennings said she took advice from here father.

“He told ‘once you start out, you kind of have this straightaway. Then you cut off to the right,’” Jennings said. “He told me to stay behind people in the straightaway because the wind was blowing in your face and he didn’t want me to lose a whole lot of energy.”

Jennings said she was in the middle of the pack until about the 300-meter mark when she took the lead.

After that, she was never caught.

First Baptist coach Craig Earhart said Jennings is just a natural.

“Whatever you tell her to do, she does. No ifs, ands, buts or complaints. She’s very easy to coach,” Earhart said.

Jennings is First Baptist’s only female runner, so the Lady Eagles did not have enough people to qualify for placement.

She time bested 25-other runners.

Georgetown won the title with 37 points, followed by Grace Christian (43) and Elizabeth (46) rounded out the three-team event.

In Class 4A, Ruston took the state title with 35 points, followed by St. Michael (52) and Benton (67) in the 17-team field.

Salmen (402) finished 15th.

Benton’s Kaitlin Flattman captured the individual event in 18:55 among the 149 participants Rebekah Hodges (24:17) was the Lady Spartans top finisher at 59th. The others included Celia Lemos (25:03), 72th, Alicia Bayone (25:07), 74th, Mercedes Kelley (27:52), 109th and Brandi Richard (28:53), 113th.

Pope John Paul II and Northlake Christian School participated in Class 2A.

Episcopal won with 75 points and St. Thomas Aquinas was second, also with 75 points in the 20-team field.

The tie was broken by the team’s better sixth-place finisher. Episcopal’s sixth runner was 35th, while St. Thomas’ was 47th.

PJP took 16th with 433 points.

The top local runner was PJP’s Rachelle Ammond (23:46), who took 57th of 133 participants.

The rest of the PJP athletes included, Jenna Fereday (24:14), 65th, Megan Boyanton (27:19), 103rd, Kris Prinz (27:25), 106th and Emily Crochet (27:55), 111th.

NCS’ top finisher was Katie Ryan (26:52), who came in 97th place. Summer Francois (28:48) was 114th, while Kallie Leahy (30:28) took 122nd and Lauren Kyle (33:23) got 132nd.