Southeast Week #3
Week ending Sept. 24, 2005
By Ben Ackerly, NTN Southeast Region Editor


BOYS (w/ week #2 ranking)

1. Jefferson S&T, Alexandria VA (#1) – OFF

Next: Octoberfest Invitational VA, Oct. 1

2. Oakton, Vienna VA (#2)
10. Pinecrest, Southern Pines NC (#10)
also: Tatnall, Wilmington DE (---)
Winter Park FL (---)
Fort Mill SC (---)

9/24 – Great American, Seeded Invitational, 5K, Cary NC
Conditions: Challenging course – rolling layout, footing rocky and uneven and often sandy as well, deceptively steep quarter-mile-plus incline that runners had to navigate twice (once early in the second mile and again near the end of the third). Slightly overcast with temps in the low 70s but high humidity.

Hoping to avoid the inevitable traffic up front in the Nike Race of Champions, SE#2 Oakton got all it could handle in the seeded invitational, finishing 4th behind a trio of Northeast Region teams. Interestingly, 6 of Oakton’s 7 runners posted times nearly identical to those recorded at the Great Meadows Invitational two weeks earlier, suggesting the course at SAS Soccer Park may have been tougher than most had anticipated coming in (No. 4 Alex Nissen was the exception, running more than 20 seconds slower at Great American). Oakton’s top-5 average of 16:46 was bettered by 12 teams in the Race of Champions, six of them from the Southeast Region.

Oakton Coach Phil Tiller said the hardest decision heading into Great American was not whether to run in the ROC or the seeded invite – he was comfortable with that choice – but who from his deep program to put on the seeded team. As it turned out, Colin Braley and Joe LoRusso, at 17:11 and 17:16, respectively, both posted faster times for Oakton in the White race than did the 4 and 5 runners in the seeded race.

SE#10 Pinecrest, still going this season without projected #1 Chase Williams, stumbled to a 13th-place finish behind four unranked teams from the region – Tatnall DE, Winter Park FL, Fort Mill SC and Salesianum DE. Pinecrest’s top 3 of Andy Wacker, Jed Black and Jordan Rickard averaged 16:42 with a spread of 12 seconds. But, noted Assistant Coach Jason Bochert, “You can’t expect to do well when your fourth runner comes in a minute and 30 seconds after your third runner.”

“I personally was not satisfied with our performance,” Bochert added. “We are a strong team with potential and for some reason we lacked intensity Saturday. All we can do now is forget about the race Saturday and move on. The season is approaching the half-way point and speed work is going to start to kick in. This is the time where we really need to come together as a team.” That Williams is expected to compete on Saturday in Charlotte at the Wendy’s Invitational should help.

Winter Park ace Caleb Vogt was the overall runner-up at 15:36.0, eighth-fastest prep performance all day.

For Fort Mill SC, which finished 9th, Great American was a what-might-have-been experience. First the team had to go without #3 David Willis, who was sidelined by patella tendinitis. Then, near the end of the race itself, #2 Travis Owens stumbled and fell coming down the final pitch to the finish and had to be helped up from the ground by another teammate before both crossed the line. “But that’s racing,” Fort Mill Coach Scott Barefield said. “Hopefully we’ll do better at the Jesse Owens Classic” on Saturday.

1 Bishop Hendricken RI, War 87 -- 1 14 21 23 28 33 54
Total Time: 1:21:49.00
Average: 16:21.80
4 SE#2 Oakton HS, Vienna, VA 183 -- 6 11 27 61 78 79 88
Total Time: 1:23:52.90
Average: 16:46.58
6 Tatnall School, Wilmington DE 245 -- 5 29 34 76 101 114 123
Total Time: 1:24:46.40
Average: 16:57.28
8 Winter Park HS FL 254 -- 2 46 47 77 82 105 117
Total Time: 1:24:45.40
Average: 16:57.08
9 Fort Mill HS SC 273 -- 16 51 60 62 84 89 136
Total Time: 1:25:50.00
Average: 17:10.00
12 Salesianum HS DE -- 330 20 69 70 85 86 87
138 Total Time: 1:26:26.80
Average: 17:17.36
13 SE#10 Pinecrest HS NC 335 -- 18 31 32 125 129 139 140
Total Time: 1:26:47.80
Average: 17:21.56
(22 teams total in division)

1 Tom Webb 06 Bishop Hendricke, W 15:23.60

7 James Phillips 06 Oakton HS, Vienna, 16:01.10
13 Matt Kroetch 06 Oakton HS, Vienna, 16:22.20
31 Tommy Mason 06 Oakton HS, Vienna, 16:41.20
67 Alex Nissen 07 Oakton HS, Vienna, 17:19.50
84 Scott Maxfield 09 Oakton HS, Vienna, 17:28.90
85 John Bernal 06 Oakton HS, Vienna, x17:29.30
94 Russel Fielding 07 Oakton HS, Vienna, x17:33.80

22 Andy Wacker 07 Pinecrest HS - B, S 16:34.80
36 Jed Black 06 Pinecrest HS - B, S 16:46.20
37 Jordan Rickard 06 Pinecrest HS - B, S 16:46.90
131 Brett Baggett 09 Pinecrest HS - B, S 18:17.10 125
135 Jonathan Stone 06 Pinecrest HS - B, S 18:22.80
145 Andrew Garrison 07 Pinecrest HS - B, S x18:38.50
147 Brett Shannon 06 Pinecrest HS - B, S x18:52.60

6 Brian Sklodowski 07 Tatnall School, Wil 16:00.10
34 Mark Giblin 06 Tatnall School, Wil 16:44.20
39 Andrew Ruoss 06 Tatnall School, Wil 16:51.00
82 Cuffie Winkler 06 Tatnall School, Wil 17:27.90
107 Charlie Forbes 06 Tatnall School, Wil 17:43.20
120 Nick Jennison 07 Tatnall School, Wil x18:04.30
129 Will Vinton 06 Tatnall School, Wil x18:13.10

2 Caleb Vogt 06 Winter Park HS, Win 15:36.00
52 Matt Bergquist 09 Winter Park HS, Win 17:04.80
53 Peter Posada 07 Winter Park HS, Win 17:05.00
83 Daniel Feinberg 07 Winter Park HS, Win 17:28.70
88 Brian Chwalisz 06 Winter Park HS, Win 17:30.90
111 Kyle Whitley 09 Winter Park HS, Win x17:48.00
123 Dustin Schuss 06 Winter Park HS, Win x18:07.80

 

3. Brentsville District, Nokesville VA (#3)
4. Chapel Hill NC (#5)
7. Holy Trinity, Melbourne FL (#4)
9. Parkview, Lilburn GA (#9)
also: St. Xavier, Louisville KY (---)
T.C. Roberson, Asheville NC (---)
Mountain Brook AL (---)
Marist, Atlanta GA (---)

9/24 – Great American, Nike Race of Champions, 5K, Cary NC
Conditions: Challenging course – rolling layout, footing rocky and uneven and often sandy as well, deceptively steep quarter-mile-plus incline that runners had to navigate twice (once early in the second mile and again near the end of the third). Slightly overcast with temps in the low 70s but high humidity.

With SE#1 Jefferson idle and relatively untested, SE#4 Chapel Hill made a strong case for regional supremacy with its 3rd-place showing behind Northeast Region powers Saratoga Springs and Warwick Valley. Led by Coach Ron Olsen’s Big Three of Jack Bolas, Ryan Workman and Duncan Hoge – and backed by solid efforts from Miles Rampel and Taylor Muir – the Tigers posted an average time (16:15) that was the second-fastest of the day behind Saratoga.

Unranked St. Xavier KY, which finished third in last years state 3A meet and was not high on the regional radar entering the weekend, finished 5th overall and was the second team from the Southeast Region after Chapel Hill. Senior Scott McClain, 16th overall at 15:52.6, junior Brian Long (22nd at 16:00.1) and senior Thomas Davis (16:19.4) led a top 5 that averaged 16:27 and spread 84 seconds.

SE#7 Holy Trinity was next from the region at 8th place – one spot behind SW#6 and Harrier #12 Denver South. Kyle Cooke led the way for HTA at 15:51.6, 15th overall. And while star transfer Nate Taylor and Kyle Butler continue to struggle so far this season, Coach Doug Butler was not displeased with the results, particularly given the course. “We are not a hill running team,” Butler said. “Never have been. We have zero hills to train on here [in Florida]. So I believe we ran respectable with that in consideration…. We beat some very good teams but should have been about 20 seconds better and 80 points less. So this Saturday” – at the flrunner’s.com Invitational – “is a big day for us, and the boys know they have to all have a good one.”

SE#9 Parkview finished 10th in the ROC, led by steadily improving junior Michael Winston at 16:00.5 (23rd). “I thought we had a great opportunity to beat some teams that were ranked higher than us,” Coach James Tigue said, “but we let the opportunity slip away…. Overall, we were pretty happy, but we all felt we could have placed higher.” Tigue’s chief concern going forward is a 1-5 spread that was 78 seconds on Saturday. “It’s hard to beat good teams with a gap like that,” he said.

Depth has been a chief concern for Brentsville Coach Rob Dulin since before the start of the season, and an 11th-place finish at Great American put the problem in stark relief. Nick Gehlsen, 29th overall at 16:12.6, Henry Melius (30th at 16:13.5), and Adam Henken (33rd at 16:15.2) ran well up front for the SE#3 Tigers, but the gap from Henken to #4 Ray Delgado was almost a minute, and #5 Eric Ekholm hit the line more than 20 seconds later. “The boys were down after the race,” Dulin said. “They know we are stronger than what we showed at Great American…. We have to close our gap from 3 to 4 and 5.”

Marist GA, which finished 12th, opened the season at SE#9 but struggled early with issues much like those of Brentsville. Iain Turnbull (14th at 15:50.9) and Jack Bourbonnais (32nd at 16:14.5) both ran up to their usual standards on Saturday, and if #3 John Whitcomb (72nd at 16:52.5) had been running right with Bourbonnais as usual, Marist might have finished one position higher. Off days for two other runners behind #4 Reilly DeYonker (17:02.2) also proved costly, as the gap from 4 to 5 was 47 seconds. Coach Roy Benson described the team as “really down when we realized that 3 of our 7 runners had bad races.” But, Benson added, “After we analyzed the results and saw how we did versus the other Georgia teams, we felt better.”

Mountain Brook AL, ranked SE#6 entering the season but quickly cut down for lack of depth, finished 13th behind star freshman Bill Matthews (13th overall at 15:49.8), backed ably by seniors Nicholas Lepley (45th at 16:30.1) and Lee Bailey (53rd at 16:37.6). “The boys are getting better each week,” Coach Greg Echols said. “Bill ran exceptionally well. Nicholas and Lee are getting closer to him each week…. We are still a couple of weeks away, but our top three are clicking pretty well at this point.”
“This is the kind of race that you can see where you are and make a decision if you want to continue working harder and progress to the next level.”

What could have been a sweet day for unranked Roberson NC turned sour just after the second mile when #2 Jason Morgan rolled his ankle and was forced to drop out of the race. “He limped out of the woods, and I intercepted him and took him to the trainer,” Coach Steve Carpenter said. “He’ll be fine. He has a bit of history with the ankle.” Carpenter estimated the loss cost the team about 45 seconds, and not more only because of a season-best performance from #6 Ben Dawson (126th at 17:30.2).
“But,” Carpenter was quick to add, “that’s cross country.”

1 NE#6 Saratoga Springs HS, Sara 110 -- 3 12 21 34 40 60 99
Total Time: 1:20:26.60
Average: 16:05.32
2 NE#5 Warwick Valley HS - Boys, 159 -- 13 22 31 38 55 59 66
Total Time: 1:21:41.80
Average: 16:20.36
3 SE#4 Chapel Hill HS, Chapel Hi 177 -- 2 15 16 65 79 93 125
Total Time: 1:21:16.40
Average: 16:15.28
4 MW#7 LaSalle HS - OH, Cincinna 196 -- 23 39 42 43 49 52 78
Total Time: 1:22:34.10
Average: 16:30.82
5 St. Xavier HS, Louisville KY 207 -- 11 17 32 56 91 100 130
Total Time: 1:22:15.80
Average: 16:27.16
6 NE#7 West Chester East HS, Wes 225 -- 6 41 45 62 71 106 123
Total Time: 1:22:47.40
Average: 16:33.48
7 SW#6 Denver South HS, Littleto 258 -- 1 20 57 86 94 126 154
Total Time: 1:22:36.10
Average: 16:31.22
8 SE#7 Holy Trinity Academy FL 261 -- 10 30 53 72 96 107 142
Total Time: 1:23:11.70
Average: 16:38.34
9 NE#8 Monsignor Farrell HS, Sta 267 -- 5 14 25 82 141 160 170
Total Time: 1:22:55.60
Average: 16:35.12
10 SE#9 Parkview HS, Lilburn, GA 283 -- 18 36 54 77 98 103 109
Total Time: 1:23:38.10
Average: 16:43.62
11 SE#3 Brentsville HS, Nokesvill 283 -- 24 26 28 85 120 128 137
Total Time: 1:23:23.80
Average: 16:40.76
12 Marist School, Atlanta GA 312 -- 9 27 63 75 138 146 171
Total Time: 1:23:49.80
Average: 16:45.96
13 Mountain Brook HS AL 326 -- 8 37 44 97 140 150 157
Total Time: 1:24:10.70
Average: 16:50.14
16 Northwestern HS SC 386 -- 47 48 81 89 121 152
Total Time: 1:25:14.00
Average: 17:02.80
17 T.C. Roberson HS NC 401 -- 33 58 83 110 117 143
Total Time: 1:25:17.70
Average: 17:03.54
(25 teams total in ROC)

1 Sandy Roberts 06 Broughton HS, Ralei 15:03.20
2 Mohamud Ige 06 Denver South HS, Li 15:12.70

3 Jack Bolas 06 Chapel Hill HS, Cha 15:20.10
20 Ryan Workman 06 Chapel Hill HS, Cha 15:56.50
21 Duncan Hoge 06 Chapel Hill HS, Cha 15:59.50
74 Miles Rampel 07 Chapel Hill HS, Cha 16:54.70
88 Taylor Muir 07 Chapel Hill HS, Cha 17:05.60
102 Jack Marshall 09 Chapel Hill HS, Cha x17:17.30 93
124 134 Peter Anderson 07 Chapel Hill HS, Cha x17:34.90

29 Nick Gehlsen 06 Brentsville HS, Nok 16:12.60
30 Henry Melius 07 Brentsville HS, Nok 16:13.50
33 Adam Henken 07 Brentsville HS, Nok 16:15.20
94 Ray Delgado 09 Brentsville HS, Nok 17:10.70
129 Eric Ekholm 06 Brentsville HS, Nok 17:31.80
137 Luke Watts 09 Brentsville HS, Nok x17:37.80
146 Eric Truschel 06 Brentsville HS, Nok x17:48.80

15 Kyle Cooke 09 Holy Trinity Aca, M 15:51.60
35 Austin Joiner 06 Holy Trinity Aca, M 16:16.00
62 Nate Taylor 07 Holy Trinity Aca, M 16:45.70
81 Steven Hale 06 Holy Trinity Aca, M 17:00.20
105 Bret Butler 10 Holy Trinity Aca, M 17:18.20 96
116 Keith Potter 06 Holy Trinity Aca, M x17:24.60
151 Kyle Butler 07 Holy Trinity Aca, M x17:58.50

23 Michael Winston 07 Parkview HS, Lilbur 16:00.50
44 Patrick Ollinger 06 Parkview HS, Lilbur 16:28.20 36
63 Marcelis Lynch 09 Parkview HS, Lilbur 16:46.90
86 Chris Justice 06 Parkview HS, Lilbur 17:03.60
107 Daniel Stallings 06 Parkview HS, Lilbur 17:18.90
112 Joshua Pinson 09 Parkview HS, Lilbur x17:21.90
118 David Reeves 06 Parkview HS, Lilbur x17:26.00

16 Scott McClain 06 St. Xavier HS, Loui 15:52.60
22 Brian Long 07 St. Xavier HS, Loui 16:00.10
37 Thomas Davis 06 St. Xavier HS, Loui 16:19.40
65 Sean Brotzge 06 St. Xavier HS, Loui 16:47.50
100 Daniel Schneider 06 St. Xavier HS, Loui 17:16.20
109 Kyle Idstein 07 St. Xavier HS, Loui x17:19.90
139 Justin Bowling 07 St. Xavier HS, Loui x17:39.70

13 Bill Matthews 10 Mountain Brook H, B 15:49.80
45 Nicholas Lepley 06 Mountain Brook H, B 16:30.10
53 Lee Bailey 06 Mountain Brook H, B 16:37.60
106 Conrad Taylor 09 Mountain Brook H, B 17:18.30
149 Andrew Timberlake 07 Mountain Brook H, B 17:54.90
159 Lee Patterson 09 Mountain Brook H, B x18:11.40
166 Quin Patton 06 Mountain Brook H, B x18:31.40

14 Iain Turnbull 06 Marist School, Atla 15:50.90
32 Jack Bourbonnais 06 Marist School, Atla 16:14.50
72 John Whitcomb 06 Marist School, Atla 16:52.50
84 Reilly DeYonker 07 Marist School, Atla 17:02.20
147 David Belew 07 Marist School, Atla 17:49.70
155 William Raffety 10 Marist School, Atla x18:05.10
180 David Mulcahy 07 Marist School, Atla x19:44.00 171

41 Josh Morgan 06 T.C. Roberson HS, A 16:22.60
67 Josh Dubin 07 T.C. Roberson HS, A 16:48.90
92 Michael Walker 06 T.C. Roberson HS, A 17:09.60
119 Josh Pickett 07 T.C. Roberson HS, A 17:26.40
126 Ben Dawson 07 T.C. Roberson HS, A 17:30.20
152 Luke Chapin 06 T.C. Roberson HS, A x17:58.90

5. Tampa-Jesuit FL (#6)

9/22/05 – West Hillsborough Invitational, 5K, Tampa FL

Looking ahead to the big flrunner’s.com Invitational on Saturday, Mike Boza rested his top 5 and let the B group clean up at West Hillsborough against some light competition. Senior John Evans and junior Matt Hindman, who have been running 6 and 7 this season, led the way, and Boza was especially encouraged by Evans’ runner-up performance (16:53). “I anticipate that he will eventually be right there with [Phillip] Scrivner and [Connor] Revord,” Boza said, referring to his 2 and 3 runners. “John Evans and Phil Scrivner have always been pretty even until John sat out last spring and did not run track. He had lost his desire to run, but regained it when summer started and he has committed himself to getting back into top shape and back up with Phil. It looks like he is on pace to get there by season's end. He has made steady progress every week and will hopefully take one more step on Saturday” at the flrunner’s.com Invitational. “I think Saturday's race will be won by the team with the fastest #5 man. If so, we have as good a chance as anyone, especially with John getting back to form.”

Team scores: 1. SE#5 Jesuit 32; 2. Sickles 57; (12 teams total)

1. Evander Jones Jefferson 16:40
2. John Evans Jesuit 16:53
6. Matt Hindman Jesuit 17:32
7. Sam Blouin Jesuit 17:34
8. Eric Bracy Jesuit 17:35
9. Matt Tucker Jesuit 17:37
12. Chris Kriz Jesuit 17:57
14. Jordan Schilit Jesuit 18:11

6. Chiles, Tallahassee FL (#8) – OFF.

Next: flrunner’s.com Invitational FL, Oct. 1

 

8. Hoover AL (#7)

9/24 – Spain Park Invitational, 5K, Hoover AL
Conditions: Rolling layout w/ crushed stone pathway, dried out and very soft due to lack of rain.

Jeremy Moujoodi, Tim Landry and Stephen Payne paced Hoover to another easy win with their 1-2-3 finish. The Bucs may finally see some teams in their class at the Jesse Owens Classic on Saturday.

Team scores: 1. SE#8 Hoover 21; 2. Oak Mountain 114; 3. Hewitt 114

1st-Jeremy Moujoodi-17:23
2nd-Tim Landry-17:43
3rd-Stephen Payne-18:09
6th-Ben Willis-18:35
9th-Justin Rogers-18:56

Others:

Smiths Station AL (---) – OFF

Next: flrunner’s.com Invitational FL, Oct. 1

McCallie, Chattanooga TN (---)

9/23 – McCallie Invitational, 3 miles, Greenway Farm, Chattanooga, TN
Conditions: Fair to fast all-grass figure-8 layout with two hills; weather humid w/ temps in the 90s

With their team’s top 3 given the day off, senior Tom Anderson and junior Justin Marquardt led a tight pack to secure the win for McCallie in its home invitational.

Team scores: 1. McCallie 26, 2. Baylor 59; (8 teams total)

1 Fassino, Steve Red Bank 15:53.26
3 Anderson, Tom McCallie School 16:18.35
4 Marquardt, Justin McCallie School 16:18.75
5 Anderson, Brian McCallie School 16:22.54
6 Cowan, Cliff McCallie School 16:26.46
8 McMillan, Robert McCallie School 16:32.26
17 Dowlen, Sam McCallie School 17:09.68
25 Hurney, Marcus McCallie School 17:57.05

Loyola-Blakefield, Baltimore MD (---) – OFF

Next: Harford Invitational MD, Sept 30.

Walton GA (---)

9/24 – Patriot Invitational, 5K, Georgia International Horse Park, Conyers GA
Conditions: Difficult course with two large hills after 2 miles.

Junior Jay Heller and senior Cory Hunter went 1-2 overall – clocking 16:19 and 16:41, respectively – to lead Walton to the team title in the Patriot Invitational. Even without the services of usual #3 Adam Bradley, Walton put six runners in the top 25 of this 20-team field and averaged 17:08 for 1-5.

1 Walton 44 -- 1 2 11 13 17 23
Total Time: 1:25:42.00
Average: 17:08.40
2 Kennesaw Mountain 66 -- 5 12 14 15 20 52 73
Total Time: 1:27:55.00
Average: 17:35.00
(20 teams total)

1 Heller, Jay 11 Walton 5:15 16:19
2 Hunter, Cory 12 Walton 5:22 16:41
11 Pilliod, Thomas 10 Walton 5:37 17:27
13 Viglotti, Mark 10 Walton 5:39 17:33
17 Kerzie, Justin 11 Walton 5:42 17:42
23 Bryfezynski, Will 9 Walton 5:49 18:05

 

GIRLS (w/ preseason ranking)

1. Scottsboro AL (#1)
also: Hoover AL (---)

9/24 – Spain Park Invitational, 5K, Hoover AL
Conditions: Rolling layout w/ crushed stone pathway, dried out and very soft due to lack of rain; weather hot and humid.

On a weekend when several of the region’s most highly-regarded teams crash-landed at Great American, SE#1 Scottsboro fell hard much closer to home, losing to state rival Hoover in the Spain Park Invitational, the third meeting between the two teams this season. On a rolling, gravel course made more difficult by the hot, humid and very dry conditions, Devon Hind’s Bucs used an aggressive race strategy to secure a 2-point victory, getting their top 4 across the line in between the 2 and 3 runners for Scottsboro. “They just went after it from the start and held on to the finish,” Hind said. “We were all surprised by our victory over Scottsboro – we were just trying to close the gap on them, not really expecting to win.”

Said Scottsboro coach John Esslinger, “I don't think I had my team ready. Hats off to Hoover. They ran a great meet and simply beat us. No excuses. We hope that we can learn from this and try to get better. The girls were disappointed to say the least, but they handled the loss well. . . . Teams aren't going to have great meets every week.”

Scottsboro will have a good opportunity to bounce back at the much deeper Jesse Owens Classic on Saturday, and the Bucs, who also will be at Jesse Owens, will have a chance to prove that they are for real.

Team scores: 1. Hoover 31; 2. SE#1 Scottsboro 33

Scottsboro
1st-Caitlin Chitwood-20:29
2nd-Lacey Wright-20:35
8th-Julie Alley-22:12
9th-Hannah Thompson-22:21
13th-Haley Hancock-22:58

Hoover
3rd-Nicole Muldowney-20:47
4th-Kimberly Muldowney-20:50
5th-Amy Chen-21:41
7th-Brittany Kahlstorf-22:07
12th-Jourdan Burke-22:51


2. Mountain Brook AL (#2)
3. Episcopal, Jacksonville FL (#3)
4. Cardinal Gibbons NC (#4)
5. Midlothian VA (#5)
6. Brentsville District, Nokesville VA (#6)
8. Oakton, Vienna VA (#7)
9. Collins Hill GA (#8)
also: Holy Trinity, Melbourne FL (---)
Green Hope, Cary NC (---)
Padua Academy, Wilmington DE (---)
9/24 – Great American, Nike Race of Champions, 5K, Cary NC
Conditions: Challenging course – rolling layout, footing rocky and uneven and often sandy as well, deceptively steep quarter-mile-plus incline that runners had to navigate twice (once early in the second mile and again near the end of the third). Slightly overcast with temps in the low 70s but high humidity.

In a meet that included almost all of the region’s top 10 – only SE#1 Scottsboro AL, SE#7 Roosevelt MD and SE#10 Northwest MD were absent – SE#3 Episcopal made it clear which team is the region’s best. Episcopal may not be in the same league as meet-winner Saratoga Springs, but to lose your top runner and still finish 2nd in a meet of this caliber says something about the quality – and depth – of Michelle Krueger’s program. “I am so proud of the girls and their performance,” Krueger said. “They have been training so hard in order to have a great season.” As for #1 Emily Ingham, advised by her doctor two days before Great American to sit out the race due to a hip injury, Krueger expects her to be ready to race again by mid-October. “Emily knows November and December are what’s really important at this point,” Krueger said. “She said she would really have liked to have raced but knew that the team was going to do awesome. She was excited to be with the team and wanted them to use her energy.”

Brentsville VA may have had a sub-par day on the boys side, but the SE#6 Brentsville girls achieved their goal going in of finishing in the top 5, finishing 5th overall and 2nd from the Southeast Region. Junior Becky Stewart led the way for the Tigers, finishing 11th overall at 18:37.5. Brentsville #2 Julia Mitchell, also a junior, cracked the top-50, finishing 49th at 19:46, and was followed by freshman Lauren Bussian (69th at 20:05.4) and sophomores Amelia Emerson (79th at 20:13.2) and Alex Kulifay (83rd at 20:15.1). “We knew we did well because we came in together 3-5,” Coach Rob Dulin said. “All the girls ran strong races.” Kulifay, hampered recently by a calf strain that acted up about a mile into the race, “gave a gutty performance to hang on and round out our top 5 in the race,” Dulin said.

SE#8 Oakton VA showed its high preseason billing – SE#3 – was not far off the mark with a 6th-place finish in the Race of Champions. Kayley Byrne led the Lady Cougars, finishing 20th overall at 19:02.1. Meredith Tighe (42nd at 19:36.7) and Rebekah Berlin (43rd at 19:37.6) rounded out a strong top 3. Off days by regular top-5 runners Carly Hudson and an under-the-weather Hallie Eilerts, who ran 6 and 7 on Saturday, likely cost Oakton a higher finish. Coach Scott Raczko called the performance “another step in our journey to a successful end of the season. We are starting to come together and Meredith and Rebekah had nice races [Saturday] to show some of that progress. We will continue to get better and more experienced and begin to put it together on the same day.”

SE#2 Mountain Brook AL and SE#9 Collins Hill GA finished 7th and 8th, respectively, close on the heels of both Brentsville and Oakton – 15 points separated the four teams on Saturday. Madeline Morgan, 16th overall at 18:48.9, and Leslie Boozer (26th at 19:11.8) delivered a strong 1-2 punch for Mountain Brook, and #3 Brigid Carey posted a solid 19:52.2 (55th). But some bad luck to the team’s 4 and 5 runners made for a nearly 2-minute 1-5 spread. First, #5 Lucy Newton went down soon after the gun, leading to a race re-start. Then #4 Laura Loveless was knocked to the ground on a downhill portion near the 1-mile mark. Both ran poorly as a result, but “that is part of any sport,” said Coach Greg Echols. The team, Echols added, was “obviously disappointed after the race, because they knew, with our 4 and 5 not up where they should have been, that they probably did not place very well. The best thing about this bunch, though, is they put it behind them after a little while and move on. They had a great time this weekend.”

Jackie Drouin paced Collins Hill with her 10th-place finish at 18:35.6, followed by Erin Guglielmo in 33rd at 19:21.9. Alexis Nichols (67th at 20:03.5) and Allyson McGinty (76th at 20:08.3) rounded out a solid top 4, but a gap of 43 seconds to the team’s next finisher was not what Coach Andrew Hudson had in mind.

SE#5 Midlothian, in 11th place, was the region’s next finisher. Junior M.C. Miller turned in a solid performance to lead the team in, finishing 34th at 19:22.8, but a young group of girls behind Miller was missing one of its strongest runners (freshman newcomer Paige Johnston, #2 in Midlo’s opening meet, had a soccer commitment) and was otherwise not at its best. “I think the field of all the top teams in the country had them nervous and stressed out before the gun was ever fired,” Morgan said.

For SE#4 Cardinal Gibbons, a veteran team comprised mostly of seniors, the calamity was much greater. The hometown favorite, Gibbons entered Great American with high expectations. And pressure – the team was the subject of a Wednesday advance on the meet in the Raleigh News & Observer, and this meet in particular had long been targeted as a place to earn a #1 or #2 regional ranking and prove that the team belonged among the nation’s elite. “The Great American is where we want to show what we can do,” Gibbons #1 Heather Beichner told the News & Observer.

A 17th-place finish in the Race of Champions surely was not what Beichner had in mind, though her team-leading finish at 19:25.4 (37th place) can hardly be faulted.

“I am not sure” what happened, Coach Justin Scranton said Monday. “The loss is still pretty fresh in my mind, and I haven’t been able to make sense of it. Collectively, we ran about as poorly as we can run. For perspective, both Chapel Hill and T.C. Roberson” – Carolina teams in the seeded invitational that Gibbons beat handily earlier in the season – “would have beaten us on Saturday.”

“We certainly weren’t peaking for this race but we ran much better last weekend in worse heat and [with] no competition,” Scranton went on, referring to his team’s win in the Raleigh Invitational at the same SAS Soccer Park facility that hosted Great American. “Ultimately, it seems like a problem of mental preparation and something physically not being right. I am not sure what it was, but I did something wrong as a coach. I take full responsibility for our failure Saturday. We will move on and we will run very well at Mt. SAC [on Oct. 22]. I am not sure if there is any way to reestablish our ranking, but we will certainly try.”

1 NE#1 Saratoga Springs HS, Sara 68 -- 3 5 16 21 23 49 77
Total Time: 1:33:44.40
Average: 18:44.88
2 SE#3 Episcopal HS - Girls, Jac 220 -- 14 35 36 48 87 92
Total Time: 1:38:51.10
Average: 19:46.22
3 NE#7 Jackson Memorial HS NJ 223 -- 4 37 45 54 83 126 129
Total Time: 1:38:22.70
Average: 19:40.54
5 SE#6 Brentsville HS, Nokesvill 239 -- 7 39 57 66 70 133 149
Total Time: 1:38:57.40
Average: 19:47.48
6 SE#8 Oakton HS, Vienna, VA 246 -- 15 32 33 81 85 93
Total Time: 1:39:15.50
Average: 19:51.10
7 SE#2 Mountain Brook HS, Birmin 252 -- 11 20 44 75 102 113
Total Time: 1:38:58.00
Average: 19:47.60
8 SE#9 Collins Hill HS, Suwanee, 254 -- 6 24 56 63 105 122 136
Total Time: 1:39:00.40
Average: 19:48.08
10 SW#9 Fairview HS, Boulder, CO 275 -- 13 19 31 78 134 137
Total Time: 1:39:33.10
Average: 19:54.62
11 SE#5 Midlothian HS, Midlothian 298 -- 25 52 53 80 88 140 156
Total Time: 1:40:23.00
Average: 20:04.60
13 NE#10 Ridgefield HS CT - Girls, Ri 314 -- 8 29 30 120 127 132
Total Time: 1:40:18.50
Average: 20:03.70
15 Holy Trinity Academy FL 335 -- 12 34 46 115 128 138 146
Total Time: 1:40:55.30
Average: 20:11.06
17 SE#4 Cardinal Gibbons HS, Rale 370 -- 27 50 94 98 101 104 135
Total Time: 1:41:30.70
Average: 20:18.14
18 Padua Academy, Wilmington DE 385 -- 28 68 69 99 121 125 141
Total Time: 1:41:54.70
Average: 20:22.94
19 Green Hope HS, Cary, NC 419 -- 17 86 96 109 111 144
Total Time: 1:42:03.70
Average: 20:24.74
(24 teams total in ROC division)

1 Aislinn Ryan 06 Warwick Valley H, W 17:05.50
2 Cassie Hintz 01 Old Town HS, Old To 17:35.10

10 Jackie Drouin 07 Collins Hill HS, Su 18:35.60
33 Erin Guglielmo 07 Collins Hill HS, Su 19:21.90
67 Alexis Nichols 06 Collins Hill HS, Su 20:03.50
76 Allyson McGinty 10 Collins Hill HS, Su 20:08.30
118 Allison Tice 06 Collins Hill HS, Su 20:51.10
136 Alexa Maring 09 Collins Hill HS, Su x21:13.60
151 Katie Gezon 09 Collins Hill HS, Su x21:37.90

11 Becky Stewart 07 Brentsville HS, Nok 18:37.50
49 Julia Mitchell 07 Brentsville HS, Nok 19:46.20
69 Lauren Bussian 10 Brentsville HS, Nok 20:05.40
79 Amelia Emerson 09 Brentsville HS, Nok 20:13.20
83 Alex Kulifay 09 Brentsville HS, Nok 20:15.10
148 Stephanie Hutson 09 Brentsville HS, Nok x21:30.70
164 Maria Cheshire 09 Brentsville HS, Nok x22:14.70

16 Madeline Morgan 10 Mountain Brook H, B 18:48.90
26 Leslie Boozer 10 Mountain Brook H, B 19:11.80
55 Brigid Carey 09 Mountain Brook H, B 19:52.20
88 Laura Loveless 08 Mountain Brook H, B 20:18.60
115 Lucy Newton 10 Mountain Brook H, B 20:46.50
126 Sasha Corcoran 09 Mountain Brook H, B x20:57.40

17 Kayla Hale 10 Holy Trinity Aca, M 18:56.30
44 Rebecca Zuhlke 06 Holy Trinity Aca, M 19:38.00
57 Jade Miller 09 Holy Trinity Aca, M 19:55.00
129 Savannah McKendree 08 Holy Trinity Aca, M 21:01.50
143 Natalie Mason 10 Holy Trinity Aca, M 21:24.50
153 Lindsey Putnam 06 Holy Trinity Aca, M x21:47.50
161 Brooke Putnam 08 Holy Trinity Aca, M x22:09.00

19 Laura Steel 09 Episcopal HS - G, J 19:00.70
45 Maggie Traylor 09 Episcopal HS - G, J 19:38.60
46 Katie Traylor 08 Episcopal HS - G, J 19:43.50
59 Leslie Blackshear 08 Episcopal HS - G, J 19:55.80
100 Brooke Hardington 10 Episcopal HS - G, J 20:32.50
105 Hadley Ferguson 07 Episcopal HS - G x20:37.60

20 Kayley Byrne 06 Oakton HS, Vienna, 19:02.10
42 Meredith Tighe 07 Oakton HS, Vienna, 19:36.70
43 Rebekah Berlin 06 Oakton HS, Vienna, 19:37.60
94 Nora Meehan 09 Oakton HS, Vienna, 20:26.90
98 Sara Hiller 06 Oakton HS, Vienna, 20:32.20
106 Carly Hudson 09 Oakton HS, Vienna, x20:38.60

22 Brittany Johnson 06 Green Hope HS, Cary 19:02.50
99 Christine Truesdale 09 Green Hope HS, Cary 20:32.30
109 Megan Brower 07 Green Hope HS, Cary 20:40.50
122 Shannon Cox 09 Green Hope HS, Cary 20:53.10
124 Meagan Bradham 06 Green Hope HS, Cary 20:55.30
159 Kayla Inserra 09 Green Hope HS, Cary x22:04.90

34 M.C. Miller 07 Midlothian HS, Midl 19:22.80
63 Samantha Dow 09 Midlothian HS, Midl 19:58.30
64 Erin Stehle 09 Midlothian HS, Midl 20:00.20
93 Mariah Landry 10 Midlothian HS, Midl 20:26.80
101 Anne Tenser 10 Midlothian HS, Midl 20:34.90
155 Tierney Willard 09 Midlothian HS, Midl x21:55.80
171 Grace Caudle 10 Midlothian HS, Midl x22:57.90 156

37 Heather Beichner 09 Cardinal Gibbons, R 19:25.40
61 Bernadette O'Neill 06 Cardinal Gibbons, R 19:56.40
107 Caitlyn Beeler 06 Cardinal Gibbons, R 20:39.10
111 Emily Adams 06 Cardinal Gibbons, R 20:43.50
114 Lauren Holesh 06 Cardinal Gibbons, R 20:46.30
117 Justine Thompson 06 Cardinal Gibbons, R x20:50.60
150 Meredith Barton 06 Cardinal Gibbons, R x21:36.80

38 Jennifer Watunya 07 Padua Academy, Wilm 19:29.10
80 Samantha Lichtner 06 Padua Academy, Wilm 20:13.40
82 MaryKate McCaffery 06 Padua Academy, Wilm 20:14.50
112 Brittiny Rhoades 07 Padua Academy, Wilm 20:45.40
135 Erica Kibblehouse 06 Padua Academy, Wilm 21:12.30
139 Meghan Smith 10 Padua Academy, Wilm x21:20.60
156 Kortney Rhoades 09 Padua Academy, Wilm x21:56.30

7. Eleanor Roosevelt MD (---)

9/4 – Mountaintop Combo, 5K, Preston HS, Kingwood WV

In their first official test of the season over a full 5K, Desmond Dunham’s Roosevelt girls passed with flying colors on the challenging layout at Preston High School. Sophomore Dominique Lockhart, at 19:11, finished not far behind heralded Berkeley Springs star Rachel Buser (19:07), one of the top returnees from the 2004 Footlocker South meet (18:09). Buser, Lockhart and Roosevelt junior Marika Walker (3rd at 19:30), all dipped under the meet record of 19:36 set last year by Keri Bland of North Marion WV – as did Kaylyn Christopher of host Preston and Bland herself (19:35).

“I am extremely pleased with the results,” Dunham said. “I thought that the course would be a little intimidating; however, the girls showed a lot of heart, determination, and focus. They definitely executed their strategy and we came out a lot stronger than I had imagined. After this meet, it's confirmed that we have a very strong 1-2 punch as they ran with West Virginia's best and even feel that our 3rd runner” – freshman Teskika Rivers, 6th overall at 20:04 – “can run with most top Southeast teams #2 runners.”

1 SE#7 Eleanor Roosevelt High Sc 30 -- 2 3 6 9 10 16 33
Total Time: 1:41:12.96
Average: 20:14.60
2 Preston High School 59 -- 4 7 8 17 23 26 31
Total Time: 1:45:03.33
Average: 21:00.67
(13 teams total)

1 58 Buser, Rachel SO Berkeley Springs High Sch 19:07.26
2 135 Lockhart, Dominique SO Eleanor Roosevelt High Sc 19:11.61
3 150 Walker, Marika JR Eleanor Roosevelt High Sc 19:30.30
4 21 Christopher, Kaylyn JR Preston High School 19:33.30
5 286 Bland, Keri SR North Marion High School 19:35.39
6 142 Rivers, Teshika FR Eleanor Roosevelt High Sc 20:04.92
10 137 Milner, Tunisia SR Eleanor Roosevelt High Sc 21:05.43
12 125 Arrington, Tyreka FR Eleanor Roosevelt High Sc 21:20.70
19 147 Stanley, Tasha SO Eleanor Roosevelt High Sc 21:50.21
40 130 Danielson, Christine JR Eleanor Roosevelt High Sc 23:45.98

10. Northwest, Germantown MD (---)
also: Westfield, Chantilly VA (---)

9/24 – Oatlands Invitational, 5K, Oatlands Plantation, Leesburg, VA

New to the Top 10, Northwest made quick work of the large field at Oatlands, winning by 70 points over a strong Westfield VA team in second. Sophomore Emma Eckerstrom, 8th overall at 19:45, and senior Rachel Forcino (10th at 19:49) led the way for a Northwest team that put 4 runners in the top 20. Out of a varsity field that featured 34 teams and 238 runners, Eckerstrom and Forcino were two of just 12 runners who broke 20:00 on a rolling layout that included one water crossing. “I was pleased with how the team responded to such a large field,” Northwest Coach Beth Muehl said, “and how they kept their composure throughout the race.”

1 SE#10 Northwest High School 104-- 8 10 15 17 54 66 93
Total Time: 1:41:33.11
Average: 20:18.63
2 Westfield HS 174 -- 12 28 34 35 65 125
Total Time: 1:44:37.44
Average: 20:55.49
3 Clarke County High School VA 197 -- 3 19 21 62 92 149
Total Time: 1:44:06.46
Average: 20:49.30
4 Brooke Point High School VA 234 -- 1 26 30 86 91 120 135
Total Time: 1:44:41.94
Average: 20:56.39
5 Lake Braddock High School VA 255 -- 29 38 46 58 84 95 96
Total Time: 1:46:37.61
Average: 21:19.53
6 North Stafford VA 256 -- 6 7 39 94 110 137 159
Total Time: 1:45:10.11
Average: 21:02.03
(34 teams total)

1 Copeland, Brittany JR Brooke Point Hig 19:04.94

8 Eckerstrom, Emma SO Northwest 19:45.41
10 Forcino, Rachel SR Northwest 19:49.97
16 Stinner, Becca SO Northwest 20:17.54
18 Aherne, Kathy SO Northwest 20:20.55
60 Jeffrey-Coker, Frances SR Northwest 21:19.64
73 Nguyen, Melinda SO Northwest 21:40.29
100 Bell, Hillary JR Northwest 22:08.40

13 Potosinski, Tasia SO Westfield HS 20:02.64
29 Sevel, Danielle JR Westfield HS 20:47.60
36 Morrisette, Stacy SO Westfield HS 21:02.77
38 Esposito, Chrissy SO Westfield HS 21:05.20
71 Henry, Christine JR Westfield HS 21:39.23
136 Krizay, Lauren SO Westfield HS 22:59.76

others:

Tatnall, Wilmington DE (---)
Buchholz, Gainesville FL (---)
Chapel Hill NC (---)
T.C. Roberson, Asheville NC (---)

9/24 – Great American, Seeded Invitational, 5K, Cary NC
Conditions: Challenging course – rolling layout, footing rocky and uneven and often sandy as well, deceptively steep quarter-mile-plus incline that runners had to navigate twice (once early in the second mile and again near the end of the third). Slightly overcast with temps in the low 70s but high humidity

Unranked Tatnall DE, the winner of the Seeded Invitational race at Great American, posted a top-5 average (20:00.44) that was better than all but 10 schools from the Nike Race of Champions – and just 5 schools from the Southeast Region. Buchholz FL (20:06.98), Chapel Hill NC (20:09.86) and T.C. Roberson NC (20:13.32), likewise unranked entering the weekend, were not far behind.

1 Tatnall School, Wilmington DE 144 -- 9 13 26 47 49 78 137
Total Time: 1:40:02.20
Average: 20:00.44
3 Buchholz HS, Gainesville FL 157 -- 7 19 23 53 55 57 85
Total Time: 1:40:34.90
Average: 20:06.98
4 Chapel Hill HS NC 168 -- 11 35 39 40 43 62 118
Total Time: 1:40:49.30
Average: 20:09.86
6 T.C. Roberson HS NC 185 -- 12 30 45 48 50 58 77
Total Time: 1:41:06.60
Average: 20:13.32
(23 teams total in division)

1 Ashley Brasovan 10 Wellington HS, Well 17:33.00

7 Natalie Doss 06 Buchholz HS, Gaines 19:22.00
20 Katie Marsh 06 Buchholz HS, Gaines 19:49.80
25 Crystal Miner 06 Buchholz HS, Gaines 20:05.20
56 Jessica Villemaire 06 Buchholz HS, Gaines 20:36.90
58 Allison Kayes 07 Buchholz HS, Gaines 20:41.00
60 Lauralee Garvin 09 Buchholz HS, Gaines x20:44.60
88 Isaida Rosario 06 Buchholz HS, Gaines x21:31.70

9 Annie Castagno 07 Tatnall School, Wil 19:23.90
13 Juliet Bottorff 10 Tatnall School, Wil 19:34.70
28 Joanie Castagno 07 Tatnall School, Wil 20:07.80
49 Katie Kershner 09 Tatnall School, Wil 20:27.00
51 Jenna McCartan 07 Tatnall School, Wil 20:28.80
81 Alex Clapp 10 Tatnall School, Wil x21:19.80
142 Katie Oldham 10 Tatnall School, Wil x23:01.10
149 Katie Wehner 09 Tatnall School, Wil x23:26.80
150 Sarah Schiffman 09 Tatnall School, Wil x23:52.50

11 Becky Johnson 07 Chapel Hill HS, Cha 19:32.10
36 Adrienne Wollman 07 Chapel Hill HS, Cha 20:15.70
38 41 Kristina Witcher 10 Chapel Hill HS, Cha 20:19.20
42 Madison Stark 09 Chapel Hill HS, Cha 20:19.60
45 Lindsay Clendaniel 07 Chapel Hill HS, Cha 20:22.70
65 Natalie Bunch 06 Chapel Hill HS, Cha x21:00.00
123 Audrey Dunphy 06 Chapel Hill HS, Cha x22:32.30

12 Caroline Kirby 09 T.C. Roberson HS, A 19:34.20
32 Meghan Gilmore 09 T.C. Roberson HS, A 20:09.60
47 Claire Duval 07 T.C. Roberson HS, A 20:24.50
50 Kristin Brock 07 T.C. Roberson HS, A 20:28.60
52 Hannah McArdle 07 T.C. Roberson HS, A 20:29.70
61 Kylie Smith 10 T.C. Roberson HS, A x20:47.60
79 Megan Brock 10 T.C. Roberson HS, A x21:19.20

Dulaney, Timonium MD (#9) – OFF

Next: Glory Days Grill Invitational VA, Oct. 8

Our Lady of Lourdes, Miami FL (#10)

9/24 – Stanford Invitational, 5K, Stanford University Golf Course

Lourdes won the unseeded race and finished 14th overall in combined scoring at the Stanford Invitational, a meet featuring many of the top teams on the West Coast. Junior Sasha Mera, at 20:17, led the way for a top 5 that averaged 20:31 and spread just 26 seconds. This weekend Lourdes will be competing in another giant invitational, though this time a bit closer to home: the fl.runners.com Invitational.

GIRL'S DIVISION 1 – Combined Seeded & Unseeded Team Scores
1. 96 CA#1 BUCHANAN (18:53 94:21)
2. 104 CA#2 CORONA DEL MAR (18:52 94:20)
4. 213 SW#4 SOUTH TAHOE CA (19:32 97:36)
8. 347 CA#7 COLLEGE PARK (19:58 99:50)
14. 453 OUR LADY OF LOURDES FL (20:31 102:34)

1 379 Lauren Saylor JR BUCHANAN 17:38 5:41

1 74 2453 Sasha Mera JR 20:17
2 83 2457 Nastasha Rodriguez FR 20:25 6
3 94 2450 Jillian Gil SO 20:33 7
4 98 2451 Meagan Hoar SO 20:36
5 104 2452 Melissa Menendez FR 20:43
(113) 2448 Gabriela Blanco FR 20:52
(163) 2455 Natalie Reyes SO 21:34

Morgantown WV (---)

9/24 – Spiked Shoe Invitational, 5K, Penn State HS XC Course, State College, PA
Conditions: Mostly flat course on a golf course; temperature in the mid-60s w/ low humidity.

Ranked SE#9 entering the season, Morgantown turned in its best performance of the fall to win at the Spiked Shoe Invitational, putting all 7 runners in the top 24 – and all under 20:13 – on the mostly-flat golf course layout that Coach John Patti calls one of his team’s favorite to run. Maria Dalzot, 7th overall at 19:11, and Monica Chase (8th at 19:44) led the way for Morgantown, which spread 52 seconds 1-5.

1 Morgantown (WV) 63 – 7 8 15 16 17 18 23
19:48
2 Governor Mifflin Hs 73 – 9 11 12 20 21 22 54
19:57
(18 teams total)

1 Katherine Ward, Jr 18:35 6:00 State College Hs

Morgantown WV
7 Maria Dalzot, Sr 19:11 6:11
8 Monica Chase, Jr 19:44 6:22
15 Emma Berry, So 20:00 6:27
16 Erica Arthurs, Sr 20:00 6:27
17 Aubrey Moskal, So 20:03 6:28
18 Allison Pettit, Fr 20:03 6:28
23 Ahna Lewis, Jr 20:13 6:31

Southeast Region page

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