#SDSportsAwards, girls cross country: Savannah Woods provided leadership for Yankton

Savannah Woods reached what many would consider to be the peak of their cross country career when she was just a freshman.

In 2012, Woods won the Class AA race at Broadland Creek National Golf Course at Huron, beating Yankton teammate Annie Kruse by just under 12 seconds on the 4,000 M course. Woods’ time of 14:40.47 was the top mark across all classes.

It was also the only time she would win an individual title in her career. Measuring Woods’ career by that metric, though, doesn’t capture the fact that she’s been consistently improving in her four years, with her senior season being perhaps her best, or her countless contributions at Yankton as a leader.

“I’ve been a paid coach for 31 years,” Yankton head coach Dave Dannenbring said. “And Savannah’s going to go down as one of my top 10 most memorable kids that I’ve ever coached.”

Her consistent excellence through the 2015 cross country season has earned Woods the honor of S.D. Sports Awards Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year. She began her season with a second-place finish in the two-mile run at the Augie Twilight meet and reeled off consecutive wins at the Norfolk Invitational and Marsha Koeberick Invitational. In the state championship race, Woods finished second to Brookings eighth-grader Eleanor Abraham.

MORE:See other winners of the S.D. Sports Awards

The SDSU signee will certainly be missed for the times she gave the Gazelles, but also for the strong voice she provided, even early on in her career.

“She’s got a lot of spunk,” Dannenbring said. “And that’s what I think you need out of somebody that can be a leader, and every team needs somebody like that, every team needs somebody that’s willing to open their mouth and say something when it needs to be said.”

That was particularly important last fall, when the Gazelles’ varsity squad had Woods and six other runners who were all sophomores or younger. Yankton finished sixth in the state, though, led by Woods and sophomore Madison McClure, who finished third.

The expectations and high profile that came from Woods’ state title have followed her throughout her career and colored every result since. In Woods’ sophomore year, Yankton teammate Annie Kruse, who now runs at Augustana, won the state title. When Woods was a junior, Lincoln’s Jasmyne Cooper won the race, and Woods finished 17th.

“She had a time as a young kid that she knew that she was good,” Dannenbring said. “She knew that she was in a good program, and she felt that pressure, and she did what it took to get good.”