Greenbrier High School cross country coach Kati Smallwood recently found a team picture showing a young Taylor Snyder, then a freshman, as one of the smallest members of the Wolfpack team.
Snyder has grown a lot since then, surpassing his teammates in height and pulling away from area runners on the cross country course.
The Columbia County News-Times Boys Runner of the Year won his second consecutive region title this season as a senior, finishing first in the Region 2-AAAAA meet held at Blanchard Woods Park. He won the 3-AAAA event last season as a junior.
At this year's Columbia County Invitational, he edged All-County teammate and Lakeside junior Atom Young for the boys title.
Snyder credits Smallwood for his rise up the high school ranks. He said his time in the mile when he was an eighth-grader dropped from 5:30 to 4:59 after he began running with the Wolfpack.
"Ever since Coach Smallwood started coaching me, I've come a long way," Snyder said. "She's a great one."
Snyder's area counterpart is Lakeside sophomore Anna Bowles, who broke out as a freshman last season to win the Region 3-AAAA girls title. She claimed the top spot in the region again this season, won the Columbia County Invitational and finished second at the GHSA Class AAAA meet.
Bowles said she feels she could have done better than the runner-up finish on the state's largest stage, but she bounced back a short time later with a personal best at the Foot Locker Southeast Cross Country Championships, where she ran an 18:07 to finish 23rd among some of the nation's top runners.
"I had to use a different strategy," Bowles said. "There were a lot of people pulling me."
Bowles said her schedule now turns to preparing for the upcoming track season with her Panther teammates. And then the summer road work will begin.
She dropped nearly a minute from her best time this season. Her finish at state gives her something to work toward.
"I would really like to win state," she said.
Snyder's run at state did not go as smoothly. He was overtaken by a flu-like virus before the Class AAAAA meet and finished well back.
Like Bowles, he will begin preparing for the upcoming track season as the Wolfpack's top distance runner.
With graduation coming up, he said he's also started looking at where he might run after high school. He said he has received interest from Wofford, Mercer and Georgia Tech, among others.
"I want to go Division I -- a decent school with a good coach to make me the best I can be," he said."
'The Columbia County News-Times' All-County Cross Country selections</p>
Boys Runner of the Year: Taylor Snyder, Greenbrier
Girls Runner of the Year: Anna Bowles, Lakeside
All-County Girls Team: Anna Bowles, Lakeside; Carolyn Hennecken, Lakeside; Elena Hubbard, Evans; Gabby Lesieur, Greenbrier; Amanda Murphy, Augusta Prep; Erin Payne, Greenbrier; Katie Townsend, Lakeside
All-County Boys Team: Joey Castillo, Greenbrier; Barret Duncan, Greenbrier; Steven Hubbard, Evans; Jim Hull, Augusta Prep; Reggie Redd, Greenbrier; Taylor Snyder, Greenbrier; Atom Young, Lakeside
Girls Honorable Mention: Lucy Chavez, Evans; Alyssa Mulikan, Evans; Maryclaire Regan, Augusta Prep; Collier McLeod, Augusta Prep; Mallory Griffin, Greenbrier; Ana Llinas, Greenbrier; Lauren Miller, Lakeside.
Boys Honorable Mention: Robert Blackwelder, Greenbrier; Brandon Coombs, Greenbrier; Shane Wilson, Lakeside; Sid Vaughn, Lakeside; Josh Ibarra, Evans; Will Rabb, Greenbrier; Tyler Huggins, Evans.
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