The following was received this morning (January 24th).

It seems over the years the greatest athletes have been judged by how they competed under pressure.

The elite status would allow in only those athletes that faced heavy odds, but still came out a winner.

Pressure and Preston High distance runner Kaylyn Christopher have always seemed to go hand in hand, and in each instance last track season when Christopher was under the gun, she came came out a champion.

"Some people don't like the pressure," said Christopher, who was named the McCoy Award winner for the Trackperson of the Year on Wednesday. "Pressure can be good or bad, but without it, you lose your edge."

At last season's state track meet in Charleston, Christopher, now a senior and being recruited by such schools as WVU, Wisconsin, Syracuse, Louisville, Purdue, Duke, Richmond and Nebraska among others, had one chance to set state records in the two longest events -- the 3,200 and 1,600 meters.

During the season, she had bested the records numerous times. In fact, Christopher set a state all-time mark in the 3,200 (two miles) with a time of 10:33.02, at the Gazette Relays.

She also became the first prep female runner in the state to run the 1,600 in less than five minutes by finishing a regular-season meet with a time of 4:58.18.

When the state track meet -- the only time a high school runner can officially set a state record -- came along, it was simply a matter of Christopher doing it again against the top competition surrounding her.

"The pressure of it all is the fact you just have the one time to do it," Christopher said. "I knew I had done all the work to make it, but when you just have one shot, you never know what's going to happen."

Christopher passed with flying colors. The first night of the meet, Christopher went out and set a state record in the 3,200 with a time of 10:55.52. She then came back the next morning to set the 1,600 record with a time of 5:00.18.

"Sometimes I look back on it and it's still kind of hard to believe," Christopher said. "The 3,200 record was great, but setting the record in the mile had been a goal of mine for so long. It was a great feeling."

Christopher nearly set a state record in the 800 meters, winning that race with a time of 2:16.38. The state record is 2:15.94.

She follows another distance runner in earning the award. WVU's Megan Metcalfe won the McCoy for the 2005 athletic year after winning a NCAA national championship in the 5,000 meters.

"I'm not sure there's more respect for distance runners in this state," Christopher said. "I think distance runners are making huge strides in West Virginia. I think the distance runners are getting faster every year and there's a lot more competition."

Christopher beat out a long list of talented individuals for the award. Finishing second was Jefferson High's Josh Brown, who was a state champion in the 100, 200 and 400 meters last season.

Former Berkeley Springs standout Tone Belt, now competing at Louisville, finished third. Belt won the sliver medal in the long jump at the World Junior Championships in Beijing, China, and was also named Most Outstanding Men's Field Performer at the Big East Outdoor Championships after winning the long jump and high jump titles.

Buckhannon-Upshur sprinter Chelsea Carrier was fourth. Carrier was the high-point scorer with 40 points in last season's state track meet with 40 points. Carrier also set a state record in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 44.57 seconds and she was also a state champion in the 100, 200 and 400 meters.

Christopher will be honored at the annual Victory Awards Dinner, scheduled for May 6 in Parkersburg.