The Tanglewood Invitational marks the end of the "Invitational Season" in North Carolina. There may be a few dual and tri meets left out there, but for the most part, the regular season is over and it's time for the "Championshp Season".
Most conferences will have their championship over the next week and a half. Then in 2 weekends, the public schools will head to their Regional meets and the NCISAA schools will head to McAlpine Park for their State Championship.
Let's take a look at the final invite of the season.
Results: Boys Champ | Girls Champ | Boys Invite | Girls Invite | Boys Open | Girls Open | Boys JV | Girls JV
Championship Boys Race
Here's how they finished:
1) South View HS - 84 points - South View's top runners, Derrick Poage and Dwayne Townsend Jr. got out fast, and Derrick was able to stay at the front. Derrick is coming off a 15:58 at Hagan Stone last weekend and ran a 16:16 in this race to finiish 2nd. Derrick has a great kick, which I witnessed firsthand (and some of you may have seen it in the Jungle Run video), but was unable to run down Patrick Crawford of East Forsyth. South View's top 5 ran 16:16, 16:52, 16:58, 17:23, & 17:47 for an average of 17:03. South View is currently ranked 5th in the 4A Coaches Poll and will be looking for a much higher finish than that come November.
2) East Forsyth HS - 92 points - This was a huge race for East Forsyth as they proved they will be a team in the hunt come November. This team is talented, obviously, they are led by a sophomore and have one of the top 800m runners in the country. I have a feeling this race was circled on the East Forsyth meet schedule as one they wanted to put it all together for. Patrick Crawford won the race in a new personal best of 16:15 which would typically place him among the top 7 at most 4A state meets. East Forsyth was ranked 10th in this week's coaches poll, but you can count on them moving way up after today's performance. The top 5 looked like this: 16:15, 17:10, 17:17, 17:32, & 17:36 for an average of 17:10.
3) Providence Day School - 124 points - This was the last race against public school competition for this private school team. Last year they won their 2nd NCISAA state championship on this course and were hoping for some more magic today. Senior Wyatt Freeman stepped up and finished 3rd overall and 1st for the team. Wyatt ran 1 second off his PR which was run on a much easier course. PD will begin its championship run next week as they go for their 8th straight CISAA conference title and then the next week their 3rd straight state title. They have been searching all year for a 5th man, and today that seemed to hurt them again as they shot for a top 2 team position. Their top 5 times were: 16:40, 16:43, 17:27, 17:40, & 18:06 for an average of 17:19.
4) Pinecrest HS - 154 points - Pinecrest has been in and out of the 4A top 10 rankings all season. This performance may get them back, but we truly won't know until the next rankings. Brett Baggett began the season with a superb 16:00, but has been somewhat up and down since. Today he had a much more consistent race, as he got out and kept himself among the top 10. He put on a late surge to pass PD's #2 to claim the 4th spot in 16:41. Pinecrest's top 5 looked like this: 16:41, 17:24, 17:31, 17:57, & 18:03 for an average of 17:31.
5) Chapel Hill HS - 171 points - Chapel Hill ran their "B" team in this race and finished in a very impressive 5th place. Chapel Hill may not have a lot of elite performers as they have in the past, but they have a ton of guys starting to make some noise. This team seems to be on the verge of busting out and surprising some people. Right now they have 15 athletes who have broken 18:00 and many of them are 9th and 10th graders. Today their "B" team was led by sophomore Liam Stott with his 17:17. Right behind him was one of their 9th graders, Asher Colburn-Hertzberg in 17:21. Three of their top 5 in this race were freshmen, here's how the top 5 looked: 17:17, 17:21, 17:32, 17:57, & 18:03 for a 17:38 average.
North Mecklenburg's Sean Soderman ran 16:45 for the 6th position. Sean's team will be on the bubble at the Midwest Regional in 2 weeks, but count on him making it to the state meet as an individual if his team doesn't.
Reagan and Hoggard both had 2 runners under 17:00. Reagan was led by Austin Jones with a time of 16:48 as Hoggard was led by Paul Greback-Clarke who finished just in front of him in 16:46. Charles Wofford of Hoggard ran much of the race with one shoe and still finished 9th in 16:50. Nick Freeman was Reagan's #2 in 16:56.
Championship Girls Race
We'll take a look at the top 5 teams. All of which are quite talented and should do very well the next time they take to the Tanglewood course.
1) Chapel Hill HS - 102 points - Chapel Hill's girls ran all out and looked good. They will be attempting to win their 3rd straight 4A state title in November. This team has been ranked #1 all season in the 4A Coaches Poll and most likely will stay there until the state meet. Madison Stark led the girls for the 2nd straight meet. Last weekend she ran a very impressive 19:00 at the Wendy's Invitational. Chapel Hill's top 5 looked like this: 19:53, 19:56, 19:56, 20:55, & 21:00. I'm sure Coach Olson will want to close that large gap from 3 to 4 & 5 before they come back to Tanglewood. They averaged 20:20 today.
2) East Chapel Hill HS - 109 points - This is the closest a 4A team has been to Chapel Hill all season long. ECH came out blazing at the Wilmington Invitational and then has been up and down since. They are definitely one of the top 4A girls teams and currently they are ranked 7th in the 4A coaches poll. Look for them to finish higher than that if they run like they did today at the state meet. Caitie Safrit and Elsbeth Grant led ECH finishing 17th and 18th respectively. Right behind them was 9th grader Claire Gildard in 20th. Their top 5 times were: 20:17, 20:12, 20:26, 20:47, & 20:47 for an average of 20:32.
3) Bishop McGuinness - 124 points - This is quite possibly the best 1A school in state history. Bishop is definitely running well at the right time of the season. They have been a solid team all year, but this meet proved they are one of the best. They have raced the smaller races all season at most Invites, but today they proved they are one of the top 10 teams in the state, in my opinion. Heather Hofmann led the girls with her 19:44 and Cissy Nitz also joined her under 20:00. Here were their top 5: 19:44, 19:52, 20:38, 20:53, & 21:44 for an average of 20:34. This is a talented young group of girls, as only Heather graduates.
4) Asheville - 150 points - Asheville has been ranked #2 all season in the 3A coaches poll, right behind TC Roberson. TCR looks to be the best team in 3A, so it does look like the battle will be for 2nd place. Asheville has a solid group of girls, led by Cara Hayes. Cara has had a strong season thus far and today ran an impressive 19:18. She should be in the mix for the individual state title come November. Sophia Treakle, who hurdles for Asheville during track, and hurdles well, finished 21st overall and 2nd on their team. The top 5 times for Asheville were: 19:18, 20:30, 20:36, 21:33, & 22:03 for a 20:48 average. This team will need to close that gap a lot if they want 2nd place in the 3A classification.
5) Reagan - 167 points - Reagan's girls came into the season with high hopes. They returned a very impressive group of girls but haven't seemed to run the way they hoped, yet. However, once everything clicks for this team, I see them being a definite contender for the #2 spot in the 3A competition. They were led by Laurie Humphrey who finished 15th overall. Reagan's top 5 girl's ran: 20:03, 20:34, 20:53, 21:36, & 21:41 for an average of 20:57. Look for this team to pull it all together under good coaching for the 3A state championship at the end of the season.
Kimberly Spano of North Mecklenburg ran 18:54, proving she is still the girl to beat in the 4A classification. Spano won the 4A title last year and is looking to do the same thing this year. Michelle Lutz of Jordan finished 2nd and has had quite a year so far. This was only her 2nd defeat to a NC athlete and her first to a 4A runner. Lutz ran 19:02 and will still be a contender when the 4A state meet rolls around.
Lindsay Ester of Williams is always dangerous as an individual and she will be in November as well. Today she ran 19:28 for 4th place.
I had heard good things about Mount Tabor's freshman, Margaret Leak, and today she proved the talk I had heard. She finish 5th overall in 19:39 which puts her as a top 10 contender for the state meet.
Two of the top NCISAA runners finished in the top 15 as well. Maegan Whting of North Raleigh Christian ran 19:49 for 7th overall. Maegan won the Greensboro Invitational Invite race earlier this season in 19:42 and will be looking for a high finish at the NCISAA meet in two weeks. Ninth grader, Stephanie Schauder from Cannon School broke 20:00 for the first time, running 19:59 and finishing 13th overall. A PR on the Tanglewood course is very impressive.
Invitational Boys Race
This race contained two of the top teams in the state, but both were in it for different reasons. Gree Hope decided to "tempo" the course and Broughton ran what looked like their "B" group. Green Hope's boys won the race with a score of 48 points. Their top 7 ran 17:16-17:40, maybe a little faster than tempo pace, but none the less they looked strong.
The Broughton boys finished 3rd and were led by Barrett Colhoun's 17:39. The Broughton team will come back in November looking to win the state title. They had been ranked #1 most of the season until Enloe beat them at the Wendy's Invitational just last week.
Ardrey Kell finished 2nd in the race and they were led by sophomore Jack Klecker and senior Chris Bailey. These two finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Ardrey Kell looked good at the Wendy's Invite last weekend, but state is here at Tanglewood. They look to be the favorite to win the 4A West Regional, but Watauga and Myers Park will be nipping at their heels. No matter what happens at the regional, Ardrey Kell should finish top 4 and make it back here in November. Look for them to be in for a top 10 spot come the 4A state meet. Their top 5 were: 17:05, 17:13, 17:37, 17:51, & 18:17.
Charlotte Catholic's boys were 4th in the race, led by Dean Iwaoka's 17:54. This team has been ranked around the middle of the pack in the 3A classification all season long. My guess is they will be peaking for the right time and should finish near 5th in the 3A state meet. They don't have a front runner, but their 1-5 aren't too far apart. The gap was 40 seconds on Saturday: 17:54, 18:01, 18:21, 18:31, & 18:34.
Two other teams to watch for over the course of the next couple weeks are South Rowan and Bishop McGuinness. South Rowan has steadily improved all season and look to be another 3A school that could finish near the 5th spot at the state meet. Coach Bob Marchinko has turned this team into the school's finest. They are led by Blake Overcash and Phillip Tilley, who take turns being #1. With two guys near the front of the 3A race, this could be a dangerous team if their 3-5 step it up. Here's how their top 5 looked: 17:15, 17:29, 18:32, 18:34, & 19:14.
Bishop, the other team mentioned, is a 1A school coming on at the right time. NCSSM has been ranked #1 all season, but this classification seems up for grabs. This was Bishop's best race of the season and they could definitely be making a run at their first state title. Will Scott led them with his 17:35. Scott should be up among the top 5 runners at the state meet. Here's how Bishop and NCSSM matched up on the Tanglwood course. Note: Bishop ran in the invite, NCSSM in the championship.
Bishop / Science and Math
#1's - 17:35 / 17:24
#2's - 18:16 / 17:31
#3's - 18:23 / 19:12
#4's - 18:37 / 19:30
#5's - 19:04 / 19:39
Will Taylor of Sun Valley continued his winning ways as he won the Invite race in 16:34. Will ran 16:00 at McAlpine last week and has the 3rd fastest time among 3A individuals this season.
Invitational Girls Race
Again, this race saw one of the top girl's teams in the state "tempo" the course. The Providence girl's looked good as they ran together. Their tight pack finished all at once and actually led them to the team title in this Invitational race. Their top 5 girls ran 21:12-21:19. Jenna Paley led them across the line as she has done multiple times this season. The Providence girls have had to battle injuries and illnesses all season, but look like they may be turning it on at the right time. Look for Coach Zu's girls to be right at the top when they come back to the Tanglewood course in a few weeks.
Broughton HS finished 2nd in the race with a score of 94, only 10 points behind Providence. All season they have been led by Timmons Williams, and today was no different. Timmons finished 4th overall in 20:21. Timmons will be looking to make it out of the regional as an individual this season, as the Mideast is very tough team-wise.
Topsail, the states #2 ranked 1A school behind previously mentioned Bishop McGuinness, looked good today as well. Zatha Loewen was 3rd overall in 20:05, slightly slower than her race here last year. Zatha won the state title in 19:28 on this course a season ago, but this year's 1A individual title is going to be a crazy battle. There are a number of girls who will be in the mix: Lemons, Humphries, Nitz, Hofmann, & Loewen to name a few. (The 1A state preview will be more indepth) Brittany Zinser was #2 for Topsail, as she has been all season, in 21:13.
Three of the next 4 schools finishing were all 3A schools. White Oak defeated Jacksonville for the first time this season, but this one could be disputed. Jacksonville was without their #3 & #4 (once everything was finalized), as Brandy Swann was visiting colleges and Erin Putnam was DQ'd for wearing a different bottom than the rest of her team. Jacksonville was definitely put in a hole without 2 of their top 5. Kaitlyn Davis won the race in 19:39, she does look like one of the top runners in the 3A classification this season. White Oak does look much improved though, as Sarah Hart is back running well and Rachel Johnston is hanging very close to her. Sun Valley was the 3rd team in the mix, led by Dannielle Hobbs' 2nd place finish in 19:49. Sun Valley has a large gap back to their #2 which will hurt them at the state championships, should they qualify out of the Midwest region. With a full squad, look for Jacksonville to be one of about 4 teams battling for the runner-up spot in the 3A classification (Asheville, Lake Norman, Jacksonville, Reagan).
Elyse Will of South Point had the best race of her season with a 20:30, finishing 6th overall. Elyse should qualify for the 3A state meet and be back here racing in November.
Open Boys Race
Chase Fisher of NW Cabarrus won the individual title in 17:12. This was by far Chase's best race of the season, so he seems to be headed into the right direction as the Championship season begins.
Andrew McGee of Calvary Baptist was 2nd in 17:16. Andrew will be racing in the 2A NCISAA race in a couple weeks. Andrew is unknown by a lot of the private school athletes around the state, but count on him being right up in the mix for the individual state title. It should come down to he and Graham Davis, last year's champ.
South Stoke's Ricky Rivas has been running well this year and Saturday went well for him. He placed 3rd overall in 17:42. He should be gunning for a top 10 finish at the 1A state meet.
West Henderson's boys dominated the Open race with a very low score of 29 points. West Henderson has been ranked #2 all season in the 2A classification. Their top 5 packed it up well as they were only separated by 25 seconds. Alex Cremer led the way for the team with his 17:47. Here's how their top 5 looked: 17:47, 17:54, 17:56, 18:02, & 18:12.
Open Girls Race
Green Hope's girls won the race, with what I believe was their "B" runners. They were led by Jackie Keung's 21:29 and 8th place overall.
Jodie Lemons, a freshman from South Stokes, has been running very well this season. She won this race with a time of 19:56. She is definitely one of the girls who will be looking to win the individual 1A state title in November. Jodie won the race by 45 seconds!
2nd place in the race was Kristina Witcher of Carrboro. She came across the line in 20:41. Behind her in 3rd place was Northwood's Kathryn Dispennette in 20:58.