By By Chandler Myers
Four seasons of cross country at Escambia Academy has resulted in big results for seniors Alan Ash and Seth Lassiter.
For those four years, the classmates and competitors have finished first and second in the AISA state finals, with Lassiter taking home the top prize in 2005 and 2006 and Ash finishing first in 2007 and ultimately being crowned state champion this season.
Alongside Ash and Lassiter is senior Andrea Nall the lone female on that cross country team in Canoe.
Nall also has two state titles to her credit winning in 2003 and 2005 and finishing third in this season’s state finals despite being ill.
Three seniors and six state championships makes for an impressive tandem in a matter of five years.
Nall said she wanted to compete no matter what because of it being her final year at EA.
Nall and Ash have been on the team since the sixth grade, and Lassiter joined the team in ninth grade when he arrived at EA.
Ash said he enjoyed being a part of the team because of the competition and the friends he made.
Ash and Lassiter are not only friends, but rivals to an extent while running meets. They never pushed their rivalry to negativity, but pushed each other during practices and races.
Lassiter said competing with and against Ash was never dull and helped him become a better runner.
Ash agreed with Lassiter that their competition was always positive.
Ash said running with Lassiter was always great and helped him keep a positive mindset when competing.
Nall’s experience on the cross-country team was interesting because of being the only female that competed from EA.
Nall said that being the only female was sometimes lonely, but never bad.
Each of the cross country runners will miss something different about running, but they all agree that they will miss their coach Joel Lambert.
Ash said Lambert was a good coach that always wanted you to give your best.
Lassiter said he felt a great bond with his coach and enjoyed having a role model like that around for moral support.
Nall shared sentiments with Lassiter.
She said that he always could talk to you about running or any other subject that you wanted to talk about.