Boys' Team Performance of the Year - Mount Tabor Wins Great American XC Festival
No team in North Carolina history had taken home the victory in the Race of Champions at Great American...until now. Great American XC Festival has been located at WakeMed Soccer Park since 2009, and since then it has been only out-of-state teams earning the victory in the coveted Race of Champions. Mount Tabor, led by Will Soule, had arguably the best invitational performance in state history. Soule used a 20-second personal best to take 4th place overall. Their whole top-five finished in the top-50 overall finishers.
The team battle was as tight as could be with Severna Park, MD scoring 2+9+12 for their top three, and lead Mount Tabor, whose top three scored 3+11+20. It was their depth on the back-end that won them the race however. Lucas Plitt finished 42nd and Andrew Burrell was 48th. They both finished ahead of Severna Park's No. 4 runner, giving Mount Tabor the advantage they needed to sneak into the lead. They won the race with 100 points, taking down Severna Park and their 105 points. Mount Tabor went on to win the NCHSAA 4A Cross Country State Title in November scoring 64 points.
Other Nominees: Cuthbertson Boys Sweep Track Titles, Mountain Island Charter's Dominating Repeat