The list of goals Magen Ellis set for herself included two she considered pretty important. One was to finish in the top three at the Festival of Champions. The other was to finish in the top 10 at the Class C state championship meet.

Check.

Check.

Ellis finished third at the Festival of Champions, the biggest regular season cross country meet of the season, and followed that up by winning the Mountain Valley Conference Class C title. She capped her terrific senior season by finishing second in the Western Maine Class C championship meet and the Class C state championship meet.

For her outstanding season, Ellis has been named the Kennebec Journal Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Maranacook Community School's Jenny Monsulick was also considered.

Ellis faced the best competition in Class C at the Festival of Championships, as well as the regional and state championship meets. Waynflete School's Adele Epsy is one of the top cross country runners in the state and was the third Maine finisher at the New England Interscholastic Cross Country Championships.

"She is one of the best cross country runners in New England, so we were a little nervous about her," Ellis said. "I definitely wanted to hold my own against her and see how I could do against her."

Ellis ran with Epsy in all three big meets they faced off in. Espy first beat Ellis at the Festival of Champions, winning with a time of 19 minutes, 26.79 seconds. Ellis was third at 19:35.85.

Epsy then held off Ellis in both the Western C and state championship meets. At the regional championship, Epsy won with a time of 19:39.34 to Ellis' 19:50.27. At the state championship meet, Epsy pulled away in the final mile of the race and won with a time of 20:08.07. Ellis was second at 20:15.96.

"The only thing between Magen and a state title was Adele Espy and she is an all-New England runner," Hall-Dale coach Brad Brown said. "The difference between the two of them in the regional and state meet was really about eight seconds or so."

Ellis said she excels on hills, which helped her win the Mountain Valley Conference championship at the University of Maine at Augusta course. She blew away the field at UMA, finishing with a time of 20:44. Monmouth Academy's Kerstin Grenier was second with a time of 22:01.

That ability to run hills allowed her to stay with Epsy at the end of the season, including at the state championship meet, which is run at Leavitt Area High School in Turner. The course at Leavitt features a punishing hill which runners refer to as "Satan's Inferno."

Ellis caught Epsy's attention.

"She told me after the race I could definitely run hill," Ellis said.

Ellis hopes to continue her career in college, but will try to help the Hall-Dale track and field team defend its state championship first. She is considering the University of Maine and Springfield College.

Scott Martin -- 621-5618

smartin@centralmaine.com