On Monday, Mary Bonner Dalton, a senior at Myers Park High School, received the Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year award for girls cross country.

Bonner Dalton, standing at 5 feet and 5 inches, has had a successful running career during her high school years. In the most recent season, she achieved a fourth place finish at the national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, which earned her the title of All-American. Her impressive performance at the regionals, where she completed a 5K run in 16 minutes and 53.80 seconds, also added to her momentum going into the nationals. This time was the second fastest in the history of North Carolina high school running.

In the NCHSAA 4A state championship, Bonner Dalton claimed victory with a time of 16:54.06, surpassing the previous record by 30 seconds. This record had remained unbeaten for 27 years. Additionally, her time was 50 seconds quicker than her performance in 2022.

Bonner Dalton is ranked as the 8th best runner in the country by MileSplit. She is set to compete at Notre Dame in the upcoming fall season.

Bonner Dalton was recognized as a member of the HighSchoolOT All-State Team and was also a contender for the HighSchoolOT Honors Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award.

When Bonner Dalton is not running, she participates in various other endeavors. She represents Myers Park on the Student Athlete Advisory Council for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, and is also a member of the International Baccalaureate Student Council. Additionally, Bonner Dalton is a part of both the Giving Back Committee and the Rotary International Interact Club.

Bonner Dalton’s weighted grade point average is 4.69.

This is the first instance of a female cross country athlete from Myers Park High School receiving the Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year award.

Source: highschoolot.com