This is amazing. USATF chose Paige Rice, the 11-year-old winner of the Junior Olympic cross country nationals Midget Girls race, as its Athlete of the Week. That makes her perhaps the youngest AofW in USATF history (which should have been noted in the press release). It’s also a huge compliment to her coach, who happens to be our good friend Dave Clingan in Portland, Oregon. The only downside is mixed emotions that Pete Magill didn’t rate AoW honors for winning the masters men’s race. But masters are served in Paige’s selection, so all is good. Congrats to young Paige, who enters masters competition in the year 2031. See you at San Diego worlds!

Here are some details on Paige — a reply to a query to Dave:

How was Paige informed?
I forwarded Andy Martin’s announcement to Paige’s Dad, Craig Rice.
What was her reaction?
Here’s her reaction via Craig:
Andy,
“This is a great honor for Paige and she’s thrilled to be recognized. She’s a fan of many of the 2007 recipients and is humbled to be included.”
Craig Rice
How long have you coached her?
I have coached Paige for three years, since she was 8 (a pre-Bantam).
Who are her parents, and what school does she attend?
Craig and LeeAnn Rice. Both runners. Craig still running in his 30’s, LeeAnn no longer running competitively. Paige attends West Sylvan Middle School in Portland.
What is her running history?
Got introduced to the sport at age 7.
At 8, in 2004, ran as a Bantam (usually 9 & 10 year olds) and finished 52nd in that age group at the National JO XC race (3K time 12:54)– 4th on a Bantam Girls team from Oregon (Oregon Cross Country) that won the Bantam Girls national team title. Earlier that summer, Paige ran a 2:54 800m, finishing 25th at the 2004 National JO T&F Championships among Bantams in Eugene, OR.
In 2005, at age 9, as a first year Bantam the was 9th in the JO T&F Nationals (Indianapolis) in the 1500m with a time of 5:24 and had the 11th fastest 800m time of 2:39. Very impressive for a first year Bantam. That same year she placed 40th as a Bantam in the JO National XC Championships on a snow covered course in Providence, RI.
In 2006, as at 10 as a second year Bantam, Paige really blossomed. She won the JO National T&F Championships in the 1500m in Baltimore with a time of 5:01.49, less than one second off the meet record. She also finished second in the 800m that year with a time of 2:26.25. Later that year, in the National JO XC Championships in Spokane, she won by 14 seconds in the 3k with a time of 11:08.78.
In 2007, at 11 Midget, Paige had a spectacular meet at the Jo National T&F Championships at Mt. SAC. as a first year midget, competing against girls one year older than herself. She led her club to second place in the 4×800 with a 2:20 split. Then she ran 2:20 again in the prelims and again (2:10.10) in the finals, to become win the National Midget Girls 800m finals. After that, she came back to run the 1500m and, after falling on the first lap and loosing 2 seconds on the field, she worked her way back and ultimately finished second by .27 second in the midget girls finals.
Later that year, per results posted from Lawrence, KS last weekend, she won the Midget girls 3K XC race decisively by 17 seconds as a first year Midget with a time of 10:58.57.
What’s really impressive about Paige: (1) she is decisively beating girls a year older than her at the National competition, and (2) she is winning National Championship races from 800m to 3000m.
Paige is only a 6th grader, but she would already qualify as a varsity runner for any high school team in Oregon. Yet with all these successes and seemingly unlimited potential, she’s a very normal, down to earth kid, who enjoys her friends and accepts her enormously talent very graciously.
She understands, as do her coaches and parents, that what a child accomplishes at age 11 may or may not be replicated at age 18 or 24. She is enjoying the moment.

Here is Paige during her Junior Olympic victory Saturday in Lawrence, Kansas: