By Kyle Coppola
Mount Dora High Senior Chasing Cross Country History
Hannah Douglas
Mount Dora High School senior Hannah Douglas became one of Lake County’s most decorated runners by winning the district cross country championship every year she competed.
The three-peat earned her the school record for district cross country championships. And she’s not finished.
“I fully intend on going for my fourth and final cross country district championship win this year,” Hannah says, speaking of a future competition she’ll be participating in under Mount Dora’s cross country program led by Coach Cody Adkinson.
“It’s been so much fun to run for the Hurricanes the past four years and for Coach Adkinson. I’ve learned so much about myself I never would have imagined before I started cross country,” she adds.
Hannah began running in sixth grade after being encouraged by her grandfather, Pops.
“He always thought I would be a great runner,” she says.
Unfortunately, Pops passed away before her first race.
“As a little extra motivation, each race I strive to make him proud,” Hannah says.
Winning provided additional motivation. And one thing about cross country running is the more you put into it the more you get out of it.
“I have such a deep appreciation for this sport,” Hannah says. “It’s taught me not to give up but to keep pushing forward. It’s also helped me develop relationships that I will carry with me the rest of my life and that’s priceless.”
It can be a challenge for student/athletes to balance athletics and academics, but Hannah makes it her mission to be good at both. Hannah’s 4.8 weighted GPA (3.9 unweighted) makes her one of the top student/athletes at Mount Dora High.
“I make sure to get my academics done first before anything else,” Hannah says. “I am part of National Honors Society, and I am a dual enrolled student so to me academics is everything. I also want to say how thankful I am for my dad Andy, my mom Stephanie and my brother Gavin.”
As Hannah comes to the twilight of her high school career, she wants to be remembered for continuing to push the boundaries of women’s sports at Mount Dora High.
“I want young girls to know what is possible. Not every race will go the way you want it to. But the harder you train, the more you push yourself, the more rewarding it is when you cross the finish line,” Hannah says.
Hannah intends to run for a university or college while furthering her academics. She is currently uncommitted but is being looked at by several NCAA Division 1 programs.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
