OC's Grisbaum is girls' runner of year

Devon Grisbaum's Meet of Champions trophy sits in her room across from her bed.

Because of its placement, she sees it all the time and thinks, "I can't believe this happened."

The Ocean City senior finished 34th in the cross-country Meet of Champions as a junior, but returned a much-improved runner.

Her progress started with a promise she made to last year's champion, Haddonfield's Briana Gess.

Late last June, Gess, a friend of Grisbaum's, made her promise to push herself even further so she could join her at the Foot Locker National Meet in San Diego.

Grisbaum did. She took a few summer trips to Holmdel, site of state meets. She started running against boys. By the time the season came around, the extra work made a difference.

"All season, I was just thinking about that I have to make Foot Locker to go with Briana," Grisbaum said. "This last stretch, I worked really hard for the Foot Locker race, and I had to go this time to qualify. I just used that as extra motivation when I was really tired, to push harder."

By the time the Meet of Champions came around, she had a shot. Coach Trish Henry talked to Grisbaum about Brittany Sedberry's banner recognizing her Meet of Champions titles in 2003 and 2004, and how that was possible.

Grisbaum, The Inquirer's South Jersey girls' cross-country runner of the year, made up seven seconds in the last 300 meters to make that a reality.

"I don't think I've ever run so hard in my life to win a race," said Grisbaum, a Vanderbilt recruit. "The feeling of crossing the finish line first at the Meet of Champions, there's nothing like it. It was awesome.

"I didn't think it would ever happen. I wanted it to happen, but I didn't think it would. To go from 34th last year to first this year, I'll remember that hard work really does pay off."

Grisbaum's season isn't over. She has the Foot Locker Northeast Regional Championship on Saturday at Van Cortlandt Park in New York.

She won't be running against Gess, who dropped out of the race because of an illness that prevented her from finishing the Meet of Champions.

Gess will, however, will be there as support, almost as the two envisioned last summer.