ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Julie Wunderlich

School: Jackson

Sport: Cross country

Coach: Jim Stoverink

This season: Wunderlich, a junior, picked up steam as the year progressed. A two-time SEMO Conference champion, Wunderlich finished fourth this year to again pull in all-conference honors. She placed second at district (20:22) and 12th (21:04) in sectional to advance to state.

Week report: Wunderlich saved her best race of the season for Saturday's Missouri State Cross Country Championships in Jefferson City. She placed 24th in 20:03 on the 3.1-mile course to pull in all-state honors. Wunderlich placed just ahead of teammate Jennifer Brown who finished 25th in a time of 20:05.

Coach's comment: "She's a very tough runner. Very competitive. She's real team oriented and has run this year with the team in mind... She works real hard. Sometimes during the season she ran both morning and evening, and she ran most every day this summer. She's really dedicated."