Name: Ella McCrum

School: Juniata Valley

Age: 18

Grade: Senior

Sport: Cross country

Athlete of the week achievement: McCrum edged out some of the top runners in the area to win the Blair-Huntingdon County race in 20:15 and then finished third in the District 6 Class 1A race in Reedsville in 19:42.4 to advance to the PIAA meet.

Season update: McCrum’s best time this season is 18:45. She won the Inter-County Conference championship, was the ICC MVP with a perfect 120 points and finished second in the Big Valley Invitational.

Coach Dolores Gahagan’s quote: “Ella made the decision at the beginning of the year to start training again after taking some time off. She has worked incredibly hard over the past nine months to get herself into shape physically and has also become mentally focused and strong. She set goals for herself and has been committed to achieving those goals. I am extremely proud of her not only as an athlete but also as a teammate and overall incredible young lady.”

Favorite teacher: Mrs. Gennaro

Favorite subject: Art

Favorite movie: “LaLa Land”

Favorite food: Steak

Favorite song: “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac

Outside interests: Running, swimming, cycling, hiking, sketching/painting

Favorite professional team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Favorite college team: Pitt

Pro athlete most admired: Parker Valby

Best athlete I ever competed against: Forest Hills’ Bella Ascherl

Most influential person on my athletic career: My mom, Krista McCrum

Proudest athletic achievement: Breaking 19 minutes in a 5K

How I got my start in cross country: “By running with my mom when I was little and competing in our elementary track program.”

Future goal: To compete in track and cross country in college