JHS Eagle Awards Go to Cross Country Runners
By Bobbi Zane

Soaring Eagle award winners, Jared Anderson and Meghan Madigan, both seniors. Photo by Albie Stark

The Julian High School Eagle awards for outstanding student athletes were presented to Jared Anderson and Meghan Madigan, both members of the cross country team.

The awards were presented during a ceremony, attended by parents and friends, on Dec. 4 at the school. The ceremony recognized achievements of students in the school's fall sports programs: cross country, football and volleyball.

The two cross country team members were singled out for their leadership abilities, sportsmanship and athletic achievements. They received a soaring eagle trophy for their work.

Meghan was one of the seven JHS girl competitors who nearly swept the All CIF honors at the final Division Five competition at Morley Field on Nov. 18. The Julian team took all but three of the fastest spots in the 2.75-mile race around Balboa Park. Jared also finished in the top 10 in the same meet.

The two teams went on to the statewide competition in Fresno on Nov. 25, when the boys' star Noah Sloan finished 25th out of 177 competitors in the event, running the 3.1-mile course in 17.0 minutes, the fastest time recorded by a Julian athlete.

Coach Bill Porter called the season a success and said, "While we've had stronger individual runners in previous seasons, this girls team had the most depth of any team I've coached."

The award ceremony is one of three held each year by the school to honor the best student athletes. For many years it was known as the Pepsi award, but sponsorship was dropped this year due to a restriction on the sale of soft drinks in the public schools. A new eagle trophy was designed to honor the winners.

Academic excellence was also marked at this event. More than half the cross country competitors were called to the stage to accept certificates acknowledging grade point averages above 3.0.