Senior Spotlight: Anna Passannante of Chapel Hill

When Anna Passannante first made her major appearance on the high school scene, she was a sophomore running the 800m. In her first season of middle distance running, she got off to a slow start with a 2:32 early in the season. By the end of the season, however, she had broken Chapel Hill High School's school record with a 2:16 and dipped down even further into the 2:13's. Over her junior year, she struggled to hit the times that she had previously been blazing through, no thanks to a mono diagnosis. Her difficulty achieving personal best times didn't stop her from acting as a strong team leader, though, especially when it came to her senior cross country season. After several months of leading and encouraging her teammates, that encouragement made its way back to her on the indoor track; in January Anna went on to set a school record in the 1000m (3:01) and finally found an opportunity to earn herself a speedy time in the 1600m, something she told us she had been wanting to do when we filmed this two weeks prior. Being the mature athlete and team leader that she is, it's no surprise to hear of her levelheadedness in making her college decision; Anna will continue her education at Williams College where she will pursue her strengths in academics, athletics, and vocals. Keep tabs on this girl in her remaining months at Chapel Hill, as she is sure to drop even more outstanding performances.