It took a little while, but at the end of the season we finally got to see a full strength Cardinal Gibbons girls team. After racing at Knights Crossing early in the season Gibbons came in just 5 points behind Virginia powerhouse Blacksburg. In a highly anticipated rematch the following week at the adidas XC Challenge, Gibbons ended up missing their #1 and #5 girl. At Wendy's they raced against #1 ranked Riverside (SC), but once again were missing Walter and McGowan, but they were still not too far behind them and looks like they would have won if a full strength.
This team has been dominant at a tough 4A Midwest Regional and the 4A State Championships where they placed their top 4 in the top 10. With Walter healthy it gives them the best top 4 in the Southeast, and McGowan can certainly make it 5 girls under 19 for this girls squad. Senior Annie Pierce had a huge PR at the State Championships where she ran 18:23 as well. They'll race on a fast WakeMed course just down the road...
