Over Christmas break of 2022, Portal received word that a 9th grader transferring in from Michigan was interested in track and cross country.

It turned out to be a perfect match.

Portal athletic director Justin Chester remembered doing a quick Google search and discovered that Savannah Hope Arnett of Leslie, Michigan had run a 20:51 5K early that fall.

"I contacted Sarah and our track coaches right away," Chester said, "And we worked to get her registration and GHSA eligibility in place for spring track."

The first track meet of 2023 was at Georgia Southern with Bulloch Academy and Chester, arriving late, got the first of many great reports on Arnett.

"The first Portal coach I saw walking up to the track was coach Cliff Hubbard, and I asked him how the Arnett girl did.

"He said, 'She is going to be a beast… she smoked everybody.'”

Coach Hubbard was right, and the rest of her high school career backed that up. With her high school career now officially in the books, the accomplishments are as impressive as they are plentiful:

• Won the Region individual championship in girls cross country as a sophomore while helping Portal win its first-ever region cross country title, which has since led to three straight region championships.
• A leader on the 2023 girls track team that won the region championship and she won several individual events.
• Qualified for the GHSA state meet in the 1600-meter run, 3200-meter run, 4x800-meter relay, and most recently the 800-meter run.
• In both cross country and track, she has been on the state podium.

Overall, Savannah developed into one of Portal’s top distance runners, consistently leading the cross country and track programs in both region and state competition.

With nothing more to prove at the high school level, the next step looms. Arnett will graduate at the end of the month and then take her talents up the road to Middle Georgia College and State University where she will compete next fall at the collegiate level.