Marion sophomore Madison Bach is this week's winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

Bach has enjoyed a successful season with the Marion High School cross country team this season. She captured first place at the Washington (Iowa) Invitational Oct. 1 and has placed second at the Center Point-Urbana Invitational (Sept. 24) and the Independence Invitational (Sept. 28).

Bach is ranked 28th among Class 3A girls by the Iowa Track Coaches Association.

Here is our Question-&-Answer session with Madison Bach:

MSR: What is your favorite individual highlight in sports?

MADISON: My favorite individual highlight in sports, even though this has nothing to do with cross country, is when I won state gymnastics. If I had the chance to do this sport again I would in a heartbeat!

MSR: What is your favorite team highlight in sports?

MADISON: My favorite team highlight would definitely be when our varsity cross country team took Suburbans to the meet in Washington. On the way back we had a blast. We all placed really well.

MSR: Who has had the biggest influence on your sports career?

MADISON: The biggest influence on my sports career has been my dad and Coach Thornton (Marion cross country coach Matt Thornton). My dad because he has been pushing me to be my best since I was little and is one of my best friends. Coach Thornton because he always knows what to say when you're having a bad day. And I guess Coach Dabroski is pretty cool, too (assistant cross country coach Jason Dabroski).

MSR: What are your future goals in sports?

MADISON: My future goals in sports are to just have fun in whatever I'm doing and to stay with it for as long as possible because running is what I love to do.

MSR: What are your favorite classes in school?

MADISON: My favorite classes in school are art or writing.

MSR: What has been your favorite community service project?

MADISON: My favorite community service project was when some of my friends and I went and bell-rang at Wal-Mart for the Salvation Army. It was so fun and I would totally do it again!