CHICAGO — Ali Bainbridge of Lennox High School has been named 2019-20 Gatorade South Dakota Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Bainbridge is the first Gatorade South Dakota Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year to be chosen from Lennox High School. The 5-foot-3 freshman won the Class A state meet this past season with a time of 18:54.63, breaking the tape 6.3 seconds ahead of her next-closest competitor and leading the Orioles to a sixth-place finish as a team. Bainbridge won eight of 11 races on the season and was the state’s top finisher at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota. She took 72nd at the Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional championships. A member of the Lennox High student council, Bainbridge has volunteered locally with the Best Buddies program and has donated her time to multiple community service initiatives with her church youth group. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced in February.
