1A Girls Preview
In 2012, Shawnda Martin finished 6th in the 1A state meet as a freshman. We should have known from that race alone that the Robbinsville product would be special, but in 2013 she made it official by taking 3rd place. Martin's junior year was very strong through both cross country, when she was the runner-up at the state meet, and track season. Now, despite having to fight through some lost training earlier in the season, she is the favorite to win the 1A state title as a senior, capping off an outstanding career! It certainly won't be a breeze for Martin, though. Jade Ogilvie (Woods Charter) clocked 19:37 at the Mideast Regional on a faster course than the one the West was run on, but that still makes her a threat to win. It's also possible that the next freshman star in 1A, Gillian Scott (Raleigh Charter), could be kicking off her career Saturday in much the same way that Martin did 3 years ago. You can't count out Hannah Zenker (Franklin Academy), either - but don't forget that Martin's PR is 18:34, and she has been improving steadily since her time off in September.
This looks like the most competitive (and chaotic) out of all 8 races Saturday, with the virtual meet predicting a winning score right around 100 and listing 6 teams within 40 points of the favorite! Bishop McGuinness was on top of the 1A team rankings for most of the season, but they were defeated by Gray Stone Day at the Midwest regional, and now the Knights occupy the top spot with the Villains close behind in second. Two teams from the West Region also have a legitimate shot to make the podium: Swain County and Pine Lake Prep both grade out less than 20 points behind Gray Stone. Raleigh Charter has a tougher mountain to climb to get into the top 2, but the Phoenix is undefeated this season and could very well rise to the challenge. Defending champion Community School of Davidson sits in 6th place, and if they don't pull off the upset Saturday then we will crown a new champion in this division.