Blue Demon Invitational 2009

On Saturday in Christiansburg, Jefferson Forest junior Leigha Schimmoeller (pictured left by Tom Hoerner) improved by 24 places and 1 minute and 41 seconds from her race at the 2008 Blue Demon Invitational by winning her first major invitational with a time of 20:23. Schimmoeller is considered a top contender for the Region III title this fall and a hopeful to sneak into the top 15 and earn All-State honors in the Group AA state race.   She has vastly improved from the start of last year's cross country season as shown by the time drops during the indoor track season before suffering an injury setback causing her to miss the indoor championship season and getting a late start on her outdoor season. However, Schimmoeller has returned to top form after a strong summer of training and is looking to have her first major win at the Blue Demon Invitational this past weekend carry over into more first place finishes this fall. Read more for interview with Schimmoeller...