The Blacksburg and Ocean Lakes High School cross country teams are the next stops on MileStat.com's pre-season cross country practice tour as we go from one end of the state to the other end of the state in one day for a workout with the Blacksburg team on Thursday morning then Friday morning with the Ocean Lakes team in Virginia Beach.
The Blacksburg boys are the defending Group AA state champions and return an en even stronger team in 2010 with potential hopes of Nike Cross Nationals after only graduating one member of their top seven and also adding incoming freshmen Michael Carter (4:43 1600). Older brother George Carter leads the Bruins, who continued to develop in the track season with five guys back who have ran 10:00 or faster for 3200 meters. Carter individually is searching for first state title and figures to be in the mix with last year's top two finishers Kyle King and Tommy Curtin for the Group AA cross country state crown with his personal 5K best of 15:48 and finishing as a state runner-up twice in track as a junior.
The Blacksburg girls enjoyed the NXN experience as the top finishing team ever in meet history from the Southeast, but lost several key members from last year's team including the Stevens twins and Leah Fitchett but still are led by two talents in Hannah Brown and Sarah Dorrell who ran on Blacksburg's national record breaking DMR. Blacksburg coach James Demarco's toughest task this season will be filling out the remaining top five and developing them to match up with the likes of defending Group AA state champions Hidden Valley and a Western Albemarle squad looking to leapfrog both squads. As a sub 5 minute 1600 performer and 800 meter state champion in track, junior Hannah Brown is looking to translate her success on the track oval to the cross country course after dealing with illness and setbacks last fall.
The Ocean Lakes program has steadily been one if not the best cross country program in the Eastern Region since coach Mike Nestor took over both programs just under a decade ago. The team and their coach are still riding high from winning their first state track team title this past spring behind long jump state record holder Justin Hunter and 1600 meter state champion Drew Paisley. Paisley had led the Ocean Lakes boys for the past few years, but now moves onto run for the University of Virginia so it is up to senior Jon Winters to pick up the load to continue the Ocean Lakes tradition of success and become the top team in the Eastern Region once again. Ocean Lakes, Eastern Region champions two years ago, had to play third fiddle last year to Grassfield and Western Branch, but Winters who closed his track season with a 4:24 1600 PR and his younger brother Brandon Winters and David Harrison, are three of five returnees back from their top 7 last year.
Ocean Lakes girls have some spots to fill to round out their top five to repeat as regional champions with Princess Anne, Grassfield, and others expected to present stronger challenges, but will be led by one of the pre-season favorite to win the Eastern Region title in Audrey Batzel, who ended her outdoor season running a 5:05 1600 PR at the state meet.