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There is just something special about the state meet. The weather has just turned cold, the leaves are falling off the trees, and seemingly everyone in the state is running the best they ever have. This year will be different, history is on the line. From the 200 plus teams represented this weekend will come a historically great group of athletes and teams. From state record holders to freshmen making their first varsity start all the way to an athlete who appears in a staggering 11 different events' all-times list. The state meet has it all and is what the season is all about.
Headlining the 67th VHSL State Cross Country Championships are teams and athletes who are not only are stars on the local level but nationally as well. The biggest of these is Andrew Hunter (senior) of Loudoun Valley. He is a two-time state XC champion and looking for his first 4A title after having won the past two 3A titles. Last year he not only won the title but pushed with everything he had and crossed the line in 14:41 to set a new state meet record. This season however he has already run a blistering 14:20 to set the overall state record and in doing so became the first Virginia athlete in nearly three decades to set the state record in the actual Commonwealth of Virginia. He is not the only big returning star though.
Libby Davidson (junior) of E.C. Glass also headlines this historic group of athletes as she attempts to become just the 7th girl ever to win three state XC titles. Last year she too set the state meet record running a blazing 17:12 on the Great Meadow course. She has quite the road though towards history this year with US #1 Weini Kelati of Heritage standing right in her way. Just this past week Kelati and Davidson met for the first time this year at the 4A West Regional. Despite having a 1-9 record against Davidson, Kelati has been running historically fast and made quick work of all her competition. Kelati enters the meet with a season's best 16:29 which is #2 all-time in the state of Virginia.
This season could be Virginia's finest hour. Running as the favorite in the 3A boys' race will be Foot Locker Finalist Gannon Willcutts (senior) of Western Albemarle. He was the runner-up a year ago to Andrew Hunter but now with the reclassification has the chance to break Hunter's state meet record. On the girls' side, stars Kate Murphy (junior) from Lake Braddock and Heather Holt (sophomore) from George C. Marshall will also be competing. Murphy, as a sophomore moved into the top 10 all-time in multiple events this past spring and was the Pan-American 1500m Champion. She has shown extraordinary speed and an impeccable competitive edge. Lastly, Holt, who is the defending 5A State Champion, enters the meet with arguably more history on the line then anyone as she attempts to become the first girl to win four state cross country championships from either the AAA or AA schools. She has won the hardest one, as a freshman, and enters the meet ranked 6th in Virginia and 1st in 5A.
This meet isn't only about individuals, some of the most exciting things to watch are the team races and the forever close scoring. Four girls teams and two boys teams have truly emerged as stars of the show for this weekend. On the boys' side the two powerhouses looking for historically great scores are Lake Braddock (6A) and Loudoun Valley (4A). They will have their work cut out for them in their own classifications and against Maggie Walker's squads (2A) who also will be attempting to reach historically low scoring numbers for teams.
Speaking of history and records, Blacksburg's girls team head back north to Great Meadow with more then just a state championship on the line. They will toe the line Saturday in hopes of winning their fifth state team title in a row. If that wasn't enough pressure they are also running for their coach, James DeMarco who recently announced his resignation at the end of the season. He is one of the winningest coaches in VHSL history and truly an inspiration. This Blacksburg Bruins squad will have a lot to run for and will be looking to break their state record of 23 points this weekend.
They are not the only team that deserves recognition though as Oakton, James Madison, and Lake Braddock all bring historically great squads back to Great Meadow. These three teams all hail from the 6A North region and went 1-2-3 in the deepest and fastest region. Each of these teams bring a unique storyline to the meet. Oakton is the two-time defending champions. James Madison is one of the deepest teams in Virginia and looks to win with depth as a team effort. Lake Braddock enters as the slight favorite and is led by one of the greatest runners our state has ever seen. This is why the state meet is great, all of these story lines will meet on the same course and over 5000m we will learn who the best team is.