It has been quite the high school season for Hannah Rae Shaffer! The Cardinal Gibbons freshman is no stranger to high-level competition as she is already a 7x All-American on the AAU Club stage for Cool Kids Run. Now, Shaffer is racing with some of the fastest high schoolers in the country, and she's fitting in seamlessly. She took home 12th overall Saturday in the Race of Champions at Great American XC Festival, and was the 2nd runner from North Carolina to cross the line. (Caroline Murrell of Northwood was 10th in 17:52). She was also the 2nd underclassmen to cross, finishing only behind Tennessee's Abby Faith Cheeseman.
Shaffer says the biggest difference in competing in high school rather than the AAU circuit is the constant support of her teammates, which means the world to her. Shaffer will have a chance to compete for the NCHSAA 4A state championship in just over a month at Ivey Redmon in Kernersville.
