A McGuinness Marvel

Don't be fooled by the All-American, girl-next-door look of Bishop McGuinness cross country runner Molly Ferguson.

She may look innocent enough, but on the cross country course she is a terror.

That subtle competitiveness has made Ferguson a Class 4A state champion, one of the best runners in the state and one of the best runners in the storied Fighting Irish girl's cross country program.

"It's nice to have a champion that's that humble, one who doesn't get caught up in herself," McGuinness coach Trevor Swink said. "At the same time, she is very tough. She is able to fight off the pain better than most girls can. Because of that, she runs hills well and that makes her a tough runner to beat."

It's hard for Ferguson to relax on a course. There are threats all around her. She faces it every time she runs a course -- in practice and at meets.

The senior leader faces it from runners in one of the toughest classes who want to beat her and the most successful cross country team in Oklahoma. She endures it from teammates who are some of the best runners in the state helping her, but at the same time are trying to reach the height Ferguson is at.

And she gets it from expectations as one of the select few McGuinness' runners who have won an individual title and should win another one -- if history repeats itself.

"She is mentally tough," said Guthrie coach Carl Tarter, whose team is the toughest challenger to McGuinness. "When it comes to a big meet, you know she will always be there. She's a tough competitor."

She showed that last year on the biggest stage, winning the 4A individual title to lead McGuinness to its 15th team state title in the past 17 years. She ran a time of 12:17.5 to beat runner-up teammate Katie Whitbeck by nearly 16 seconds. Ferguson, who finished runner-up two years ago, became just the fourth McGuinness runner to win a girls cross country title, and the first since 2000.

"I was really excited," Ferguson said. "It was kind of surreal. It's nice because the team won and I won. I was thinking more of the team win than me winning one."

She should win her second straight title this year, if history repeats itself. The previous three McGuinness individual champions all won consecutive titles. Jessica Hoke won two in a row from 1992-93, Ashley Booth (1994-96) won three in a row and Amanda Jordan captured four from 1997-2000.

"That would be great to continue the tradition," Ferguson said. "But I plan on going out there and doing what I can do to help the team win before I even think about that goal."

Swink said, "Molly has been the most consistent and the best runner we've had since then."

Ferguson actually gets help from Jordan, who is an assistant coach and the best runner in the school's history.

"She's helped me tremendously in what to expect," Ferguson said. "It's nice to know that we have that experience and someone that good around. She relaxes me, tells me a joke before the race. She prepares me for the race."

Ferguson not only tries to live up to the tradition of the McGuinness champions, she also has some tough competition. She competes in a tough class with talented runners like the Guthrie tandem (Rachel Roberts and Amanda Davis) and also goes against her teammates, who are some of the best in the class as well. McGuinness returns its top seven runners back from last year's title run, including three of the top four finishers at state last year.

"Someone always does good and pushes the pace," Whitbeck said. "It improves the team. One strength is we get along real well. We push each other because we are real competitive, not in a mean way. We realize it gets us better."

It's gotten Ferguson to the point where she is considered one of the best runners in the state. She's ready for all challengers and ready to help McGuinness continue its winning ways in the state meet Oct. 27 at Mitch Park in Edmond.

"We run well together and we push each other a lot," Ferguson said. "It really keeps me on my toes. It pushes me to run harder and faster, to get that drive."