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Holland garners boys cross country honor By Ashland Tidings staff Jul 22, 2019 08:42 PM A A Ashland High’s EJ Holland has added another award to his haul from a wildly successful junior year. Holland was named the boys cross country runner of the year for the 2019 Oregon Sports Awards. He was chosen over finalists Ethan Reese (Sunset) and Tim Stevens (Cove). Holland won the Class 5A state championship last fall, going undefeated through the Oregon high school season and two postseason meets before placing 16th nationally. His first cross country state title came on the heels of a regular season in which he three times went below 15 minutes on 5,000-meter courses. His triumphant time in the state meet at Lane Community College in Eugene was 15:30. In ensuing weeks, he won a regional title and the BorderClash race. Holland ended the cross country season ranked 10th nationally among juniors. He also was among three finalists for the Johnny Carpenter 6A/5A boys athlete of the year and the boys track and field athlete of the year. During the spring track season, Holland posted some of the nation’s best marks in the 1,500, 3,000 and 2-mile races, earning him one of five places on the all-USA TODAY High School Sports boys track and field team. Holland repeated as the state champion in the 1,500 and 3,000, establishing meet records in each. His 1,500 time of 3:46.59, accomplished in the Portland Track Festival High Performance meet, ranked second in the nation. His 3,000 (8:13.10) and 2-mile (8:50.29) times ranked third. Sprinter Micah Williams of Benson beat out Holland for the boy athlete and boy track awards. Other local high school athletes chosen as finalists for various awards included North Valley’s Baylee Touey, St. Mary’s Emma Bennion and Baylee Hammericksen and Grants Pass’ Grace Gaither. Southern Oregon track and field standout Zach Beltz was a finalist for the Ad Rutschman small-college male athlete of the year (won by Oregon Tech basketball player Mitchell Fink). Touey was chosen the 4A/3A/2A/1A girl athlete of the year, for which Bennion was a finalist. Touey was also a finalist for the girls soccer (won by Jesuit’s Katelyn Duong) and track and field awards. Hammericksen was a finalist for girls golfer of the year (won by Summit’s Olivia Loberg), and Gaither was up for softball player of the year (won by Marist’s Ariel Carlson). The national champion SOU softball team is a finalist for the George Pasero team of the year. The awards were voted on by a panel of experts, and the winners are being announced through a series of radio and TV spots and online. For more information, go to oregonsportsawards.com. Andy Atkinson / Ashland TidingsAshland's EJ Holland leads the boys 5A race at the State Cross Country Championships Saturday, Nov. 3, in Eugene.