This Pensacola Christian freshman ran upfront en route to winning PNJ Athlete of the Week

Congratulations to the latest PNJ Athlete of the Week winner for the 2022-23 school year: Jaimee Tutton from Pensacola Christian girls cross country team.

The Warriors freshman garnered 70.13 percent of the total vote in the PNJ’s online poll held after the Oct. 3-8 playing period. Each weekly winner is awarded a one-of-a-kind PNJ.com Athlete of the Week shirt provided by BSN SPORTS.

This is the second consecutive year that Tutton has been an Athlete of the Week winner.

Running in lockstep with older sister RaeAnne, Tutton placed third at Faith Academy's Boardwalk Challenge with a time of 18 minutes, 36.2 seconds. The freshman was one of five Warriors to record top-10 finishes as the team scored 17 points to win the event.

Latest AOTW winner: Gulf Breeze quarterback Battle Alberson wins PNJ's Athlete of the Week

Another Warriors winner: Pensacola Christian runner Drew Birx wins PNJ's Athlete of the Week

Most recently, Tutton helped the Pensacola Christian girls team win its first-ever region title. The Warriors will compete at the Class 1A state championship on Saturday.

Q and A with Jaimee Tutton

PNJ: We are days removed from you helping the girls team win its first-ever region title. How does it feel to make PCA history?

Tutton: “It feels amazing, we’re so excited that we were finally about to do that.”

PNJ: Last year, you guys came pretty close to win regionals. What do you think the difference was this year?

Tutton: “I think we came in super determined. We really, really wanted to win this year. So I feel like we came in with way more determination than we did last year.”

PNJ: That determination has been evident for the entirety of the season, as the girls team is ranked third in Class 1A. What’s been the key to a terrific year?

Tutton: “I feel like we’ve been training harder. We’ve been implementing some strength workouts, and that’s been making us stronger to be able to race harder every week.”

PNJ: Obviously, you and your sister are two of the girls that have been leading the charge. What are the goals that you two have set for state?

Tutton: “Well, we’re going for a state title this year. That’s the absolute goal for our team.”

PNJ: You guys have a great chance to do so, but what do you think has to be done in order to achieve it?

Tutton: “We all just need to run our (personal record).”

PNJ: Do you feel any kind of pressure coming into state this year where the expectations may be a little bit higher?

Tutton: “There is pressure, but honestly, we just trust in the Lord to help us do what we know what we can do.”

PNJ: Speaking of the man upstairs, I’m curious what is your favorite bible verse?

Tutton: “My favorite bible verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9, which says grace is sufficient for thee. This verse is really important to me because in the last couple of years, my family has lost family members, but we can have peace because we know because of God’s grace, those family members are in heaven.”

PNJ: Back to cross country, who do you enjoy competing against the most at the front of the field?

Tutton: “I really enjoy racing against Susan Koeppel from Maclay. She’s fun to run against, her and Elyse Carmichael from Booker T. Washington. She’s fun to run against, too.”

PNJ: Regarding your team, who is the funniest teammate?

Tutton: “Probably Eliana Reynolds, she’s the life of the party.”

PNJ: Who is the nicest teammate?

Tutton: “They’re all really nice, but Jessica Chappell, she’s so kind. All the time, she’s always very encouraging during races.”

PNJ: As far as questions outside of running, what is your favorite school subject?

Tutton: “I enjoy history.”

PNJ: Do you have a least-favorite school subject?

Tutton: “I’m not huge on math (laughs).”

PNJ: If you had one thing to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Tutton: “That’s really hard. I like chicken alfredo, that’s really good. My mom makes really good chicken alfredo.”

PNJ: What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve gotten?

Tutton: “Know when to give out information at the right time, to not open your mouth when you shouldn’t (laughs).”

PNJ: To end, we’ve talked about your goals and the state meet coming up, but before that takes place, how would you rate this season from 1-10?

Tutton: “Probably a nine, because we won regionals and we got a big PR this year. It’s just been really fun being with everyone on the team.”

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Christian runner Jaimee Tutton wins PNJ's Athlete of the Week