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Cardinal Gibbons, competing as Raleigh Catholic, won the NXR Southeast Regional yesterday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC. Teams from all over the Southeast Region (Florida up to Delaware) came to compete on their home course where two team spots were on the line to NXN in Portland, Oregon.
On paper coming in it looked to be a tight race with five to six teams in the running for the top two spots with Tennessee powers in Brentwood and Webb School of Knoxville as well as Virginia's West Springfield and James W. Robinson. Gibbons was able to win in season at Great American over James W. Robinson and Webb School of Knoxville, but Webb School had added a new runner into their top 5 coming into NXR Southeast.
They'd start down the hill at WakeMed and do a loop through the woods before starting their ascend back up the hill where we'd get their 2K splits and the race was as tight as could be. Brentwood was just 2 points ahead of Gibbons, scored 123 to 125, with Webb School of Knoxville at 141, Assumption (KY) at 150, West Springfield at 155 and James W. Robinson at 159. Hannah Rae Shaffer would be up near the front in 8th overall and as the third overall team scorer with the field mixed with a lot of individuals.
As they climbed the hill for the first time and began to loop around the park things would only get closer in the team scores. Through 2 Miles Gibbons had moved ahead of Brentwood, but just by two points with a score of 130-132. West Springfield had closed the gap and were just 5 points back at 135 with Webb School of Knoxville 11 points back at 141 and James W. Robinson and Assumption in striking distance at 151 and 157 respectively.
Shaffer was hanging tough up front splitting 11:16 through 2 Miles as the 4th team scorer. Addy Mitchell was in second for the Crusaders at 11:31 through 2 Miles with Kaitlyn Estep and Maggie Whitham close together at 11:51 and 11:53. Katherine Pagorekdd and Lucia West were together at 12:07.
To the finish, Shaffer would move up two spots and finished 6th overall in 17:21 to net 3 points for the Crusaders. Mitchell moved up from 27th at 2 Miles to finish 15th overall scoring 9 points for Gibbons running 17:39, a new personal best. Estep and Whitham would work together over the last Mile and change running 18:28 for 65th and 66th overall scoring 31 and 32 team points. Additionally, Pagorek and West would finish next to each other as the teams 5th and 6th scorers running 18:41 and 18:42.
The big move from 2 Miles to the finish from Mitchell would play a major part in the change in team scores as all teams fought over the finishing stretch. Gibbons was able to edge the field, scoring 119 points to win NXR Southeast, with Brentwood taking second with 126 points. Just one point back was Webb School of Knoxville, with 127 points, and West Springfield, at 133. Just 14 points separated winning the region and finishing 4th.
Championship Girls 5000 Meter Run Finals Team Scores
| Place | Team | Points | Scorers | Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cardinal Gibbons | 119 | 3+9+31+32+44 (46+80) | 1:20 1-5 Split | 18:07 Avg |
| 2 |  Brentwood High School | 126 | 19+23+25+26+33 (39+66) | 0:31 1-5 Split | 18:15 Avg |
| 3 |  Webb School of Knoxville | 127 | 1+4+13+50+59 (75+125) | 1:58 1-5 Split | 18:01 Avg |
| 4 |  West Springfield | 133 | 5+15+16+18+79 (109+144) | 1:52 1-5 Split | 18:08 Avg |
| 5 |  James W. Robinson | 162 | 11+17+21+28+85 (124+136) | 1:46 1-5 Split | 18:19 Avg |
| 6 |  Derby City Athletic Club | 180 | 8+34+40+41+57 (67+97) | 1:20 1-5 Split | 18:27 Avg |
| 7 |  Padua Academy | 243 | 6+24+42+82+89 (105+117) | 2:01 1-5 Split | 18:42 Avg |
| 8 |  Tatnall | 284 | 2+20+60+68+134 (150+158) | 3:16 1-5 Split | 18:47 Avg |
| 9 |  Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School | 310 | 14+37+70+94+95 (104+163) | 1:49 1-5 Split | 19:01 Avg |
| 10 |  Marvin Ridge | 323 | 38+54+58+72+101 (126+141) | 1:13 1-5 Split | 19:07 Avg |
Nike Cross Nationals does choose four at-large teams via a committee to qualify but with some strong teams in the Southwest and California would look to be an outside shot.
Cardinal Gibbons Results
| Girls | Athlete | Place | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5000 Meter Run | ||||
| 17:21.42 | SB | Hannah Rae Shaffer | 6th | 5K Girls Results |
| 17:39.88 | SB | Addy Mitchell | 15th | 5K Girls Results |
| 18:27.97 | Kaitlyn Estep | 65th | 5K Girls Results | |
| 18:28.89 | Maggie Whitham | 66th | 5K Girls Results | |
| 18:41.76 | SB | Katherine Pagorek | 89th | 5K Girls Results |
| 18:42.58 | SB | Lucia West | 91st | 5K Girls Results |
| 19:25.91 | SB | Emily Evans | 31st | 5K Open Girls Results |
| 19:26.57 | Anneka Hill | 146th | 5K Girls Results | |
In 2017 Cardinal Gibbons surprised the region to win and advance to NXN for the first time. This year they returned their entire top 5 from last year's 4th place team and would add in freshman Kaitlyn Estep who ran 4:52 and 10:39 as an 8th grader. The back-to-back NCHSAA 4A State Champions have four seniors in Shaffer, Mitchell, Pagorek and West in their top 7 looking to make the National meet for the first time.