The Richmond Track & Field Club, headed by Maggie Walker Governor's School coach Jim Holdren, took a large group of Richmond area Virginia high school cross country runners to the USATF National Junior Olympic XC Championships in San Antonio, Texas this past weekend. A good number of those individuals, ten to be exact, will be returning back to Virginia as USATF All-American after top 25 finishes in their age group races.
Rappahannock County sophomore and Group 1A state cross country champion Julia Wood had the highest finish among all Virginians with a 3rd place effort of 18:53 in the 15-16 age group race for girls. Another sophomore in Maggie Walker's Emma Call also earned All-American honors in the same race with a time of 19:38 for 15th place. A pair of Maggie Walker boys gained All-American recognition in the boys' race for the 15-16 year olds division with Ryan Buscaglia (17th, 16:44) and Evan Fisher (21st, 16:48).
Alex Fleckenstein helped lead the Maggie Walker boys to the 2A state team title last month at Great Meadow and also was the top finisher for a USATF JO national runner-up Richmond Track & Field Club in the 17-18 age group boys' race with a fourth individual finish of 16:09 on the 5K course at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio. Two other former Central Region school runners joined him as club teammates and as USATF All-Americans in Paul Adam (8th, 16:25) of Lee-Davis and Grayson Reid (17th, 16:36) of Deep Run. Another Deep Run runner in Alexander Varon just missed top 25 All-American distinction in 26th place (16:45) as the fourth finisher for the Richmond T&F Club.
The Richmond Track & Field Club was also national runners-up in the 17-18 age group girls' race with 2013 Group 2A state cross country champion Daisy Banta of Maggie Walker pacing their squad out in front in fourth place with a time of 19:30. One current and one former Patrick Henry High School runners from Ashland were the next two finishers for the club team with Amy Dunham in 17th place at a time of 20:17, while 2013 graduate Malina RIchardson also earned All-American honors with former high school teammate Dunham in 24th place (21:19).
The Richmond Track & Field Club, headed by Maggie Walker Governor's School coach Jim Holdren, took a large group of Richmond area Virginia high school cross country runners to the USATF National Junior Olympic XC Championships in San Antonio, Texas this past weekend. A good number of those individuals, ten to be exact, will be returning back to Virginia as USATF All-American after top 25 finishes in their age group races.
Rappahannock County sophomore and Group 1A state cross country champion Julia Wood had the highest finish among all Virginians with a 3rd place effort of 18:53 in the 15-16 age group race for girls. Another sophomore in Maggie Walker's Emma Call also earned All-American honors in the same race with a time of 19:38 for 15th place. A pair of Maggie Walker boys gained All-American recognition in the boys' race for the 15-16 year olds division with Ryan Buscaglia (17th, 16:44) and Evan Fisher (21st, 16:48).
