A Leaphart Elementary 4th grader is ranked among the fastest female runners in her age group in the country.

Dorothy Hutchins won the United States of America Track & Field (US-ATF) Cross Country Junior Olympics South Carolina State Championship in Newberry on Nov. 7. The win qualified her to compete in the USATF Nationals, which will be held in Kentucky Dec. 12-13.

“I am so excited to be going to Nationals and racing people that challenge me,” Hutchins said. “I really love running because it pumps me up. I really enjoy being around people who enjoy racing as much as I do.”

Hutchins competed in the 9-10 age group at the 3K distance during the USATF State Championship. She raced against 29 other girls from across the state and won with a time of 12:29. This is her 2nd year running cross country although she has been running local area 5K road races for a number of years.

“As a parent I am so proud of my daughter,” Sara Hutchins said. “Winning the state championship was Dorothy’s goal at the beginning of the season and we are all so proud that she was able to reach her goal.”

Hutchins is currently ranked 12th in the nation. She will continue her Tuesday and Thursday training sessions and will get into a few local area runs to keep her racing legs in shape before the national competition.