The boys of Midlothian reigned victorious for the second straight year as they once again captured first place in their section of the Varsity (2.5 mile) race. The team narrowly defeated second-place North Rockland by a one-point margin. Top finishes by Ryan Witt (9th, 13:12), Billy Berlin (12th, 13:21), Ryan Call (20th, 13:40), Pat Harding (26th, 13:43), Kurt Witt (43rd, 14:01) secured the victory. The mere 49-seconds in which all scoring runners crossed the line clinched the title for the Trojans. This tight pack will serve them well as they head back to Virginia competition for their district, regional and state meets. A state title is not out of reach for the Midlothian boys as the legendary Stan Morgan continues his tradition of coaching excellence.
The girls from Midlothian also made a strong showing this weekend as Amanda Patterson embarrassed the competition by dominating her Varsity race with a convincing time of 14:50 on the deceptively hilly course. Patterson posted the top time for any Varsity girl (not including the Eastern States championship race), after a grueling morning of SAT testing in the Bronx. The Midlo girls fared well as a team also, placing 2nd as a team. Erin Prillaman had a breakthrough race, taking 3rd (15:29), Jessica Oakley 18th (16:26), Christine Blackburn 45th (17:09) and Stephanie Ferdinand 53rd (17:20). The Trojan ladies have continued to improve throughout the season in traditional Midlothian fashion, proving to Virginians and New Yorkers alike that their AAA #1 ranking is no joke.
The Western Albemarle Girls, entered the celebrated Eastern States race, which traditionally matches up some of the nation's best girls' teams. The lady Warriors emerged in fourth place as a team, behind only Saratoga Springs (US#1), Argyle (US#8) and Bay Shore (US#). Western defeated many illustrious names such as Hunterdon Central, Columbia, and Warwick Valley which have dominated the historic hotbed of girls high school cross country for many years, as well as teams from St. Mary's (Oregon) and University City (California). The Warriors were led by sisters Jessica Fanning (10th, 15:04) and Tasmin Fanning (26th, 15:35), and were followed closely by the phenomenal trio of Kelsey Stafford (36th, 16:00), Sam Stafford (38th, 16:05) and Gina Casella (40th, 16:12). The mere 10 seconds separating the 3rd and 5th runner provided the edge that the Warriors needed to knock off some truly amazing teams from around the nation, earning their South #2 ranking in the latest edition of the Harrier.