CAK's Rebecca Story named Gatorade runner of year for Tennessee

Christian Academy of Knoxville junior distance runner Rebecca Story was named Tennessee's Gatorade girls cross country runner of the year on Monday.

The 5-foot-5 All-American is the first girls runner from CAK to receive the honor, which recognizes athletic and academic excellence and exemplary character. She's now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award.

Story's selection comes after she finished third in the FootLocker Cross Country Championships in December. She was undefeated in head-to-head matches with in-state competition and won her first Class A/AA state championship with a blistering 5K pace of 17 minutes, 49.7 seconds.

Story, who has a 4.27 GPA, also represented Team USA at the Great Edinburgh International XCountry competition in Scotland earlier this month, finishing 21st overall.

It's Story's second Gatorade honor, along with her selection as Tennessee girls track and field athlete of the year as a sophomore last spring.

Chris Thomas covers high school sports. Follow him at twitter.com/christhomaskns