School: Buchanan
He's qualified because: With the loss of four-year section and state standout Lauren Saylor (University of Washington), Simpson managed to rally his girls team to clinch the Central Section Division I title and win the TRAC championship by a 35-point margin over Clovis East.
Defining moment: Bears placed five runners in top 13 to win their eighth consecutive D-I section title. Five underclassmen, including two sophomores and a freshman pulled through by placing in the eighth through 11th spots. Buchanan won the section title by a 25-point spread over Clovis East, and then went on to finish 13th in the D-I state race among 23 teams.
Career highlights: Under the direction of Simpson, along with assistant Brian Weaver, the Buchanan girls have won eight straight section titles and 10 overall in his 14 years.
The word: "I was worried for our girls because Clovis East had such a good squad and Clovis High had two awesome frontrunners and you don't need much else. Our girls said they were not going to be the ones to break the string of Valley championships. That's always a huge incentive." -- Simpson.
Opposing take: "Marty and his staff consistently season in and season out put out a quality product. Not only are their girls successful but they win with class. This doesn't just happen as Marty and his staff have very high expectations in regards to accountability to practice, racing, work ethic, being respectful, courteous and appreciative." -- Clovis coach Rob Brenner.
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2007 Girls Cross Country All-Star Team
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