Hannah DeBalsi 2nd At National Cross Country Championships

Posted on December 14, 2013 | 11 Comments

Hannah DeBalsi — Staples’ sweet-looking, but super-fast and ultra-competitive runner — placed 2nd this morning, at the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships at Balboa Park in San Diego.

Hannah’s time of 17:26 makes her the fastest sophomore in the nation. At the finish line she trailed only Tessa Barrett, a senior from Waverly, Pennsylvania.

Congratulations, Hannah! And if you’re smart, you’ll stay out in California for a few days. It’s a lot easier to run on their beaches than ours this weekend.

Hannah DeBalsi (far right) is near the front of the pack, at the start of today's national championship race. At the end, she was ahead of every runner but one. (Photo/Sara Bassett)

Hannah DeBalsi (far right, #13) is near the front of the 40-girl pack, at the start of today’s national championship race. At the end, she was ahead of every runner but one. (Photo/Sara Bassett)

This entry was posted in Sports, Staples HS, Teenagers and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

11 responses to “Hannah DeBalsi 2nd At National Cross Country Championships”

  1. peter perry | December 14, 2013 at 5:30 pm |

    video of the race can be seen @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmbRmsK8XD4

  2. Alison Fisher | December 14, 2013 at 5:35 pm |

    Way to go Hannah! Westport is proud.

  3. Julie Van Norden | December 14, 2013 at 7:22 pm |

    Hannah is amazing! She has great things ahead of her.

  4. Fred Cantor | December 14, 2013 at 7:53 pm |

    Very impressive.

  5. John Hartwell | December 14, 2013 at 9:13 pm |

    Great job, Hannah. Congratulations!

  6. Lou Mall | December 14, 2013 at 9:40 pm |

    What an exciting race! Last year there was Henry Wynne and now there’s Hannah DeBalsi! Who knew cross country running could be so exciting? Hannah has been amazing this year, setting course records at every meet and winning the New England championship . Now she finishes second in the Nationals to a senior. We have two more years to enjoy Hannah. You go girl!
    Hats off to her coaches Amanda, Malcolm, and of course Laddie Lawerence. It’s not an accident that we have two amazing champions in two years.

  7. Bill Ryan | December 14, 2013 at 9:49 pm |

    What a terrific accomplishment! While Hannah obviously has some natural gifts and good coaching, distance running requires so much discipline and independent hard work. And to achieve so much and while still a Sophomore is extraordinary. Among the many records she has broken in her short career are the mile records at Staples which were set by my daughter Francesca 19 years ago. Francesca knew her name would be coming down off the wall one of these days, but there is an element of pride knowing who broke the record. Way to go, Hannah!

  8. Jeff Mitchell | December 14, 2013 at 10:51 pm |

    Hannah’s post-race quote is a classic: “My main goal was to make whoever beats me, hurt.” [http://www.gametimect.com/staples-hannah-debalsi-claims-2nd-place-foot-locker-cross-country-nationals/] Lol. My legs hurt just watching the race!

  9. S. Jonas | December 15, 2013 at 9:58 am |

    Even better than her speed is Hannah’s sweet nature and humility. Way to go, Hannah!

  10. Terry Brannigan | December 15, 2013 at 10:04 pm |

    Amazing!

  11. Kerstin Rao | December 16, 2013 at 8:35 pm |

    I’m always cheering for Hannah, whatever her goals may be. Shout out to her brother Devon, whose short story in 8th grade I still remember vividly…