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Two years ago, Karsyn Huskey had never run a cross-country race.

And couldn’t even run at all after undergoing significant knee surgery.

All of which made Huskey’s effort at Saturday’s state 1A cross country championships more impressive, with the Wolverine senior placing sixth in the meet held at Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville.

Huskey earned all-state honors with her finish, the best by a Polk County female runner since Elisabeth Elliott’s victory in 2005. Elliott’s father, Dewayne, helped coach Huskey this season.

“This was a huge accomplishment for me,” Huskey said. “I went into the race ranked ninth and came out sixth. I’m happy with that.

“Even though I wish it was better, I have to remind myself that it is just my second year ever running cross country. So to finish sixth in the state against girls who have been training since middle school is pretty huge.”

Huskey completed the course in a time of 19:55.83. Swain’s Arizona Blankenship won the second state title of her career with a time of 18:11.69, with teammate Annie Lewis in second at 18:46.81. The two helped lead the Maroon Devils to the state team title.

The top eight runners all came from last week’s West Regional in Bryson City.

“The race went better than I thought it would,” Huskey said. “The West region has the fastest girls in the state. I’m proud to be part of that.”

Huskey will now focus on Polk’s indoor track season, with outdoor to come in the spring. She has begun to attract attention from college coaches, though her current plan is to attend North Carolina State and study animal science.

“It’s sad that this was my last cross-country race,” Huskey said. “I finished strong and I’m super proud of that.

“I never saw myself as a long-distance runner, but I worked hard and finished strong. It has been a great season.”

Brevard won the state 2A boys title, placing three runners in the top six finishers.