Panorama's Greg Thompson (middle) poses for a picture after the Panther girls cross country team finished second at the Class 1A Iowa State Cross Country Meet October 28 in Fort Dodge. Photo courtesy of Eileen Nordquist/Panorama Cross Country.
Panorama’s Greg Thompson (middle) poses for a picture after the Panther girls cross country team finished second at the Class 1A Iowa State Cross Country Meet October 28 in Fort Dodge. Photo courtesy of Eileen Nordquist/Panorama Cross Country.

The man in charge of leading the Panorama Panther girls to cross country team to the best finish in school history has earned postseason accolades from the state.The Iowa Association of Track Coaches recently named Panther head cross country coach Greg Thompson as the Class 1A Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year.

The Panthers finished no worst than second in any meet as a team this fall, winning seven race championships. Panorama had at least one runner finish in the top 10 of every race this season and had three or more Panther runners place in the top 10 of six events. Freshman Ella Waddle earned all-state honors for a sixth-place individual finish in Fort Dodge with a school-record time of 19:33. Panorama finished second in the Class 1A team standings with 115 points, 11 points more than state champion Hudson.