Hannah Barbour may not be as well-known as her teammate, defending 4A cross country champ Darby Middlebrook, but she is the 12th-best returning runner in the state and is 7th among seniors. I know that just about any coach in the state would love to have a girl like Hannah on his team (and a team full of girls like Hannah would be a dream). She runs fast times, she's committed to the team and to her teammates, and she gives her all in every race she runs. Last fall, she had her best race of the season at the 4A state meet while helping to lead her team to a runner-up finish behind only all-time best Green Hope. With PR's of 5:17 in the 1600 and 11:18 in the 3200, Hannah is no slouch on the track, either.
I've had the chance to speak to her a few times, as Watauga occasionally comes down the mountain to run in Winston, and I've always found her engaging and interesting. Hannah seems like she would be a great teammate and a dedicated friend, in addition to being such a strong runner. She has a unique personality, and I am sure she will be remembered as a critical part of some Watauga girls' teams that rank among the best in state history. Side note: she seems to unconsciously try to sneak out of the left side of the camera's view during the interview, and I had to adjust the camera at 1:20 and again at 2:14 to keep her in view. I find that very amusing for some reason.