Ok, well here we go. I was very impressed today with what I saw. It was a beautiful day to be running a race or spectating. Today is why I love the sport of XC. Many highs and many lows, but no matter what . . . determined, passionate, hard working kids out giving it everything they have. Congrats to all the teams that ran today!
* 30 of the guy's top 100 times on the Tanglewood course were run at the NCHSAA state meet
* 40 of the girl's top 100 times were run at the NCHSAA state meet including the course record
3A Boys @ 10:00
The boys 3A race was an interesting one. Hill in traditional "Hill" style let the early sprint go to the other runners. Once they came out of the woods, Hill began working up to the front on the outside of everyone. While Hill was moving up, Daniel Hamilton and Josh Dubin set the early pace with Sunde, Wanichko, & North hanging out behind them.
As they crossed the ditch and began their approach to the uphill, Ryan Hill had grabbed the lead and looked like he was going for a new course record. Up the hill the first time, heading to the mile, he had gapped the others by a few seconds and looked as if he was well on his way to blowing the race open as most expected. Ryan hit the mile in 4:57 with Hamilton, Dubin, Sunde, Wanichko, & North right there at about 5:00.
Coming down the hill the first time getting ready for the 2nd loop, Andrew North had taken over the lead and was pressing the pace. Dubin was not far behind and Hill was right with him.
Meanwhile, Mooresville had 4 guys in the 20 and looked set for the team title. TC Roberson was also looking quite good, seemed as if they were hitting on all cylinders after their 2nd place in the West region last weekend.
As they approached the 2-mile mark, Ryan Hill had retaken the lead but didn't look great. Right behind him were both Dubin and North. The three of them came through the 2-mile in about 10:19. Hill looked at the clock and surged a bit, but didn't break either runner. Sunde and Hamilton were not far behind in 10:24, with Wanichko alone at 10:27.
Mooresville now had 3 in the top 10 and 4 in the top 15. They must have had a very strong 2nd mile. Asheville was also strating to look good as a team, maybe coming up on TC Roberson.
Coming down the final decent, Hill had extended his lead and North and Dubin were charging hard. Ryan won in a time of 16:00, with Dubin and North right on his heels in 16:05 & 16:06. Kevin Wanichko made a big move in the woods and finished very strong to come in 4th with a time of 16:16. Jonathan Sunde improved on his time from the Tanglewood Invite, running 16:19.
Mooresville claimed the team title, led by Patrick Campbell's 8th place finish. Joseph Newman was 13th, Colin Davis came in 16th, Graham Sledge was 18th, and Nathan Craig finished 31st to roung out their top 5.
TCR held on for 2nd place and Asheville was 3rd. The West region took 4 of the top 6 team places. That was a solid region!
4A Boys @ 10:30
The 4A race got off to a predictable start. Wacker went to the early lead followed by Gilland, Curtiss, Lowery, Mordecai, Kaat & Graw. The announcer said they hit the mile in 4:31. I don't believe that b/c I was standing there and saw 4:53. Can someone confirm? I'm pretty sure I'm right as it makes sense based on splits. Anyway, at the mile, still the same guys.
Chapel Hill's boys, ranked 2nd in the Southeast NTN poll, looked strong. They had 3 buys in the top 15 and a couple more not too far off. 2nd place seemed up for grabs at the mile, but MP's top 2, Hughes & McGoogan, were looking to make a statement about the best 1, 2 punch.
When they came out of the woods, it looked to be a 2 man race. Wacker was still leading and Taylor Gilland was right on his heels. John Curtiss came flying down the hill in 3rd place with Dakota Lowery hanging out behind him. Then it was Mordecai and Graw.
At the 2-mile mark, the race looked great. Could there be a new course record? Wacker and Gilland came through together at 9:57. Back a bit, but now in 3rd by himself was Lowery from West Johnston, he was 10:09. John Curtiss was through in 10:13 with Mordecai and Graw at 10:16. Then right behind them was the MP duo of Huges of McGoogan at 10:18. Greg Dame of Mount Tabor was also right there running with Myers Park.
Still stride for stride as they approached the woods, there was no telling what was going to happen on the hill and to the finish.
Chapel Hill boys now looked even stronger than before with 5 guys in the top 20.
The crowd was going nuts in anticipation of who would come out of the woods first. When sophomore, Taylor Gilland came flying down the hill, people went crazy. Not only did he come out in first, but he had put a big gap on Wacker. Taylor was not shooting for one of the fastest times in course history, and that he got. Taylor ran 15:38, only 6 seconds off the course record. Sandy Roberts and Jack Bolas ran low 15:30's last year and then went on to qualify for Foot Locker Nationals, what does this mean for Gilland? We'll find out in a few weeks.
Wacker was struggling down the hill and Dakota was gaining ground quickly. You know he has a kick if you watched the Wendy's Invitational. Sure enough, he had it in him to take 2nd place with a great time of 15:53. Wacke held on for 3rd in 16:00. John Curtiss and 9th grader Nick Graw were not far behind in 16:01 & 16:02. Nick Graw easily ran the fastest time ever run by a freshmen at Tanglewood! Hughes and McGoogan finished in 6th and 7th to really help out Myers Park's push for 2nd place.
Chapel Hill wrapped up the team title by taking 5 of the top 15 spots. Myers Park did hold on for 2nd place scoring 104 points, an excellent race for them. Enloe, who had started the season out extremely well at the Seahawk race and then slowed a bit, sped back up to claim 3rd place.
Now the question is, did CH do enough to maintain their #2 ranking? Some of the NTN bids go out Sunday. I think the SE bids go out next weekend, we'll see!
3A Girls @ 11:00
Lindsay Ester of Williams and Alexa Van Epern were the first to the front. About 600m in, they had a small gap on the rest of the field. 9th grader, Danielle Hobbs was leading the pack that included all of the other big names, including Kirby, Gaddy, and Humphries.
This race was one of the most talked about. The individual race seemed up in the air as a number of girls had run similar times during the season, but not really against one another.
At the 1-mile mark, it was the pack together at about 5:52.
Then, as they came down the hill, approaching the halfway point, it looked as if it was becoming a 2 girl race. Ester and Kirby were pulling away, but hadn't quite shook off Jordan Gaddy of Enka.
Roberson's girls looked way out in front as far as the girl's standings. It you have watched them run, you knew that they were only going to increase their lead on the rest of the field. They tend to move very well after the 2-mile mark, and this race proved to be no exception.
The battle for 2nd however was looking real tight as they came up on 2-miles. Reagan and Asheville seemed neck and neck with Catholic trying to move up and join them.
At the 2-mile mark it was Ester and Kirby coming through in 12:20. Gaddy had closed the gap a bit and was only a couple seconds back in 12:22. Alexa Van Epern of Lake Norman led the next group by in 12:32. The group contained Hobbs, Humphries, and a fast moving Staphanie Chapman of TCR. Other names who were discussed a lot prior to the race were the East region's top 2 girls, Hart and Davis. These girls had raced 9 times this year, this race made 10. They were both up there as well, in the top 10.
Kirby made a big move somewhere in the wood to create a gap between her and Ester. She ended up winning by 5 seconds, running 19:09, about 10 seconds faster than the Tanglwood race a couple weeks ago. Ester finished in 2nd, running 19:14. Both girls come back next year, so we should all be looking for another tight race. Jordan Gaddy held on for 3rd, and a late charging Stephanie Chapman of TCR finished in 4th. Rounding out the top 5 finishers was 9th grader, Danielle Hobbs, in a solid 19:39.
TCR's girls won the race as expected, placing their top 5 in the top 17. Asheville pulled a bit of an upset to finish 2nd, only 2 pts. ahead of Reagan. Asheville's girls were so happy, they were in tears getting their award. That's what it is all about.
4A Girls @ 11:30
Chapel Hill's girls came in the overwhelming favorites, but Providence had been eyeing this meet all season.
At the start, Providence got out very well and looked to be challenging Chapel Hill for the team victory. At the mile mark, Chapel Hill had two girls up front but Providence had 5 girls come by before Chapel Hill's 5th. The team title looked as if it could be up for grabs. However, once they came down the hill at about the halfway point, Chapel Hill looked to be in control. They now had 3 girls in front of Providence's #1, but Providence still looked very solid.
Chapel Hill won the team title, as expected, by putting 5 girls in the top 21 and 3 girls in the top 9. Madison Stark led them with her 4th place finish. Providence was a very strong runner-up, as they put 5 girls in the top 28. Their girls pack ran amazingly close, 13 seconds separated their 1-5!
The individual race was one for the books as well. Last year's champ who has been battling an injury this season, Callan Fike, took the early lead and allowed Andie Cozzarelli and Kimberly Spano to sit while she pressed the pace.
The three of them came through the mile mark together in a speedy 5:43. Behind them was a large pack of girls including: Courtney Whittington, Michelle Lutz, Becky Johnson, Madison Stark, Allison Hofmann, Anna Gillespie, and others.
When they hit the halfway point, Kimberly Spano had taken over the race. Andie Cozzarelli was in 2nd and then there was a gap back to Fike. Next, the pack came through, still working hard together.
At the 2-mile mark, Spano had a commanding lead. She was still hammering the pace as she hit the 2-mile in 11:38 and well on her way to a new course record. Cozzarelli was still in 2nd place but 16 seconds back at 11:54. Fike came through in 12:04 and the pack was still chasing behind her.
Spano continued to roll and came flying out of the woods with a minute to spare to break the record. That she did! Spano's time of 18:20 broke the old record by 8 seconds, set by Elizabeth Bruce of Forsyth Country Day School. It was an incredible performance!
Cozzarelli, the pre-race favorite came acros the line in 2nd place, running 18:50. Not a bad time by any means on the slower Tanglewood course.
Fike was able to hold on for 3rd place, but not by much. Madison Stark of Chapel Hill finished very strong in 19:05, only 2 seconds behind last year's champ.
Michelle Lutz finished 5th in 19:07 to finish her stellar season and to accomplish her goals for the season.
1A Boys @ 2:00
The 1A boys race looked to be a battle between two teams, last year's champs, Hayesville and the favorite NC Science and Math. As promised, that is what happened.
Throughout the race, both teams were running close. At the mile mark it looked like it was even except at the #5 spot. Science and Math looked to have about a 15 place advantage there. Even at 2-miles, the race was still tight, but over the last mile, Science and Math was able to pull away for the win. They placed 4 guys in the top 10 and 5 in the top .
However, Science and Math was also favored to win the individual title with Phillip Curley. Hayesville's Kyle Ingram thought differently. At the Tanglewood Invitational, Ingram ran a very good race, running 16:54, fast enough to win last year's state title. Then at the regional race, Ingram finished 4th and 2nd on his team. Not the race he was looking for, but probably gave him plenty of motivation to run well at the state meet.
Ingram and Curley moved together up to the front as neither went out to the lead in the first 400 meters. By about 1000m, both found themselves at the front. Ingram through in a surge as they approached the hill, which seemed a bit early, but he obviously had the confidence to do so.
After the mile mark, which Curley and Ingram hit in 5:03, it was all Kyle Ingram. Ben Hall of Polk County was also stalking and right on pace with the other two.
As they approached the halfway point it looked as if Kyle was running away with the race. Still plenty of racing to go, but he looked very determined to keep pressing and stretching his lead.
The lead at the 2-mile mark was 6 seconds, but Kyle looked much more confident. Curley looked back as he came through in 10:35, never a good sign for runners. Curley has been battling an injury the last couple weeks, so that was probably starting to weigh on him a bit.
Kyle came storming down the hill with a commanding lead. He crossed the line 33 seconds faster than what he ran about 3 weeks ago. Very impressive! He ended up covering the course, in almost a solo effort, in 16:21.
Phillip Curley held on for 2nd place to cross the line in 17:02. Not far behind him was Ben Hall, then Daniel Kimmel, S&M's #2.
2A Boys @ 2:30
It was no secret that the Gibbon's boys were the favorites to win. The secret was that they were going to bust out the throwback uniforms, or the "secret whites".
Landon Arey took out the pace early and everyone else sort of settled in behind. Sean Sewell looked very relaxed as he casually moved up on the outside.
By the mile mark, all the favorites were up in the front. Bryan and Sewell came through in about 5:03, with Roach and Dakota Norris right there as well. The Reidsville duo had had some experience racing Sewell as they finished 2nd and 3rd to him in the regional meet last week.
Orange, sporting mohawks, had gotten out very well as a team. They may have been winning at the mile mark. Gibbons looked to be moving up but they weren't caught up in the excitement of states. They were just doing their jobs. Also, Surry Central, ranked #2 in the coaches poll looked to be a bit cautious the 1st mile.
Coming down the hill, Sewell had begun to pull away. Following him was Norris and Bryan and then it was starting to spread out a bit.
At the 2-mile mark, Sewell looked strong and fast, hitting it in 10:17. Norris and Bryan were still battling as they hit 2-mile in 10:30. Roach was in 4th at 10:38 and a very hard charging Justin Gianni came through in 10:40.
The team race was tight for 2nd still, but Gibbons was running away with the state title. Surry Central was moving up, West Henderson had two up front running well, Northwood had a solid three and Orange seemed to fading some.
Coming out of the woods, the race was all Sean Sewell. He crossed the line in 16:16 to win by 15 seconds. Zach Bryan finished in the runner-up spot in 16:31. Dakota Norris came down the hill in 3rd but Gianni out ran him in the homestretch to claim 3rd place.
"Retro" Gibbons won the team title just as they did when they used to wear those uniforms as a member of the NCISAA. (I don't have fond memories of those tops!) They placed 5 guys in the top 20 to score 43 pts.
Surry Central easily pulled away from the rest scoring 82 points for 2nd place. They were led by 9th and 11th place finishes by Eric Stouch and Aaron Wilkins.
1A Girls @ 3:00
This turned out to be a great battle for the individual state title. Pre-race favorites, Zatha Loewen of Topsail and Anna Hayes of East Wilkes did not let the spectators down.
Early on, Hayes took to the front followed closely by the two Bishop McGuiness front runners, Cissy Nitz and Heather Hofmann. Zatha, just as she did at the 4-Runners/Tanglewood meet sat back early and slowly worked her way up to the front. The first time they hit the ditch and started up the hill, Hayes was leading with these other 3 girls right there.
At the mile mark, Hayes hit 5:58, Zatha was 6:01, and the Bishop ladies were through in 6:03 and 6:04.
Meanwhile, at the mile mark, it was very tough to determine who was winning the team title. The Bishop ladies looked tough with their front two, Hayesville was packed up well led by Stella Snowden, Topsail was running well, and the red singlets of Hendersonville were running strong.
Hayes led coming down the hill but Zatha was right on her. Hofmann and Nitz were losing some ground but still were running in 3rd and 4th.
At the 2-mile mark, Hayes and Zatha were running stride for stride and came through in 12:24. Heather Hofmann and Nitz were around 12:46, so it was a 2 girl race for the title.
As they came up the hill, the bare-chested Topsail fans spurred Zatha on and she even gave them a smile. She was still looking quite fresh as they were still running right next to one another.
The team title was still too tough to call. Bishop had 3 girls running strong but then had to wait a bit for 4 and 5. Hayesville had been moving well and had 5 girls in front of Bishop's 4. Looked to be very close, with Topsail and Hendersonville still there as well.
Zatha put a move on Hayes in the woods as she came flying down the hill to win the title in 19:22. Not far behind was Anna Hayes in 19:29. Bishop's Hofman and Nitz held on to their 3rd and 4th places throughout the whole race.
As predicted, the team title was a tight one. Hayesville, led by Snowden's 6th place finish, took the title by a slight margin (3 points) over Bishop McGuinness. Hayesville won their 3rd title in a row, but don't tell them, Bishop returns thir entire team next year.
2A Girls @ 3:30
The girls 2A race had a clear cut favorite on the team side in Cardinal Gibbons. Their boys had already won, so they were looking to sweep the 2A titles.
Heather Biechner of Gibbons was also the favorite coming in, but Morgan Turner, Lincolnton, and Sarah Willingham, North Henderson, weren't planning to hand her the race.
The Gibbon's girls did not get out fast, but neither did their guys. The plan with the smaller field was to work into the race, realizing they didn't have to get out extremely fast.
Olivia Ballew of Roanoke Rapids took the early lead and pressed the pace. Close to her were the other ladies who everyone expected to be there.
At the mile mark, Turner, Beichner, Willingham, and Ballew came through together at 5:58. Beichner has been consistent through her races this year, so I expected the pace to stay close to 6:00.
As they came down the hill, Ballew had begun to fall off the pace a bit. Turner and Beichner were running side by side and Willingham was trailing just a bit.
At 2 miles, Turner and Beichner were still right next to each other, matching strides. They hit the 2-mile mark in 12:15, a very solid time on this Tanglewood course. Sarah Willingham of North Henderson was not far behind in 12:20.
It was amazing to watch as these two girls came up the hill. They were bumping elbows they were so close to one another.
Beichner made a move in the woods to end it and it worked. Heather came down the hill in first as Coach Scranton sreamed encouragement. She ended up running a very fast time of 18:51. Morgan fell off a good bit, but you can't fault her for going for the win. She held on for 2nd place in 19:22. Willingham was also under 19:30, running 19:29.
While this great race was going on for the individual title, the team title was being snatched up by Cardinal Gibbons. Molly Baker, Gibbons' #2, was pouring it on as she moved up to 6th place overall. Halsey Merritt also finished in the top 10, with her 10th place finish. Their 4 and 5 runners finished in 13th and 14th, to help with their team low score of 31 points. That was the lowest point total of the day in all races.
Also, with the finish of the girls, Gibbons made it a clean sweep of the 2A state titles, both team and individual.
Durham School of the Arts finished 2nd and North Henderson was 3rd, but almost 100 points back.