Northern Region Meet Preview Pearl Watts Oct 31, 2012

 

The Lake Braddock girls did not qualify for the state meet last year, but as far as regional dominance through the years, no team can compare to the Bruins. Since the regional team championship and state qualifying process was instituted on the girls side beginning in 1978, Lake Braddock has qualified for the state meet an astounding 30 of the 34 years it has been in existence.

Glory Days Grill Invitational Preview Pearl Watts Oct 10, 2012

 

It's a hearty welcome once again to all competitors, coaches, parents, other relative and friends, the numerous volunteer helpers, along with the usual long time supporters of high school cross country to the 20th Annual Glory Days Grill Invitational at Bull Run Regional Park on Saturday, October 13. Meet management looks forward, as usual, to another fine day of competitive racing, with approximately 2,500 runners representing 67 different schools from around the area who will compete in one of the nine races to be contested on Bull Run's 5,000 meter (3.1 miles) course.

 

Glory Days Grill Invitational Meet Preview Pearl Watts Oct 06, 2010

And it's another welcome again to all competitors, coaches, parents, other relatives and friends, along with the usual long time, faithful supporters of high school cross country, to the 18th Annual Glory Days Grill Invitational at Bull Run Regional Park on Saturday, October 9th. Meet management will once again be looking forward to another fine afternoon of competitive racing, with well more than 2,000 runners representing 65 schools expected to compete in one of the nine different races to be contested on Bull Run's approximate 5,000 meter (3.1 miles) layout.

Northern Region Meet Preview Pearl Watts Nov 04, 2009

   The Oakton boys are solid favorites to defend their team title while the West Springfield girls seem to hold a slight edge over Jefferson and Lake Braddock for the Northern Region Championship meet to be held at Burke Lake's 2.98 mile course on Thursday, November 5th.

Glory Days Preview Pearl Watts Oct 08, 2009

 
  Welcome once again to all competitors, coaches, parents and also other relatives and friends along with just plain old supporters of high school cross country to the 17th Annual Glory Days Invitational at Bull Run Regional Park. Everyone involved in meet management is looking forward to another fine day of competitive racing with more than 2,000 runners representing 71 different schools expected to compete in one of the nine different races to be contested on Bull Run's approximate 5,000 meter (3.1 miles) layout.

Northern Region Indoor T&F Championships Preview Pearl Watts Feb 19, 2009

The South Lakes boys and Robinson girls will assume the roles as favorites for the team championships at the 2009 Northern Region Track and Field Championships to be held at the George Mason University Fieldhouse on Saturday, February 21.

The South Lakes boys, winners of the Liberty District title two weeks ago, are led Vincent Brown (pictured left by John Herzog). The Seahawks senior posted region leading times at his district meet in the 55 dash (6.42 seconds), long jump (22 feet, 1.5 inches) and also in the 55 hurdles at 7.46 where he is the defending champion in that event and the lone returning champion in a boys individual event.

The Robinson girls finished as the runnersup at the Concorde District meet but should be in a position to move up to a first place finish at the regional level, especially with the return of freshman Genamarie McCant.

National District Championships - Day 1 Summary Pearl Watts Feb 04, 2009

The Washington-Lee girls have the first day lead with 46 points while Edison and Mount Vernon are tied for first with 39 points apiece on the boys side after the first day of the National District championship meet held at Episcopal High on Tuesday, February 3.

Concorde District Championships - Day 1 Summary Pearl Watts Feb 04, 2009

  It's the Herndon girls and Robinson boys with narrow leads after day one of the Concorde District Championships held at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex on Friday, January 30.  After the conclusion of seven of the 15 events, the Herndon girls have 54 points with one of the highlights, a win in the 3,200 run by senior Hiruni Wijayaratne in 11:08.63.  The Robinson boys currently sit in first place with 56 points. The Rams posted one victory by senior Fabian Bailey in the long jump (20-5.25) and also received runnerup spots from senior Joey Esposito in the shot put (46-10.5) and junior Ryan Tarpey in the 55 dash (6.69).

Libert District Championships - Day 1 Summary Pearl Watts Feb 04, 2009

  The South Lakes boys and Marshall girls squads hold a slight edge in the team scoring after the first day of the Liberty District championships held at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, MD on Thursday, January 29.

Northern Region Championships Preview Pearl Watts Oct 29, 2008


Photo by Michael Saunders

The Oakton and Robinson boys along with the Thomas Jefferson and Lake Braddock girls have emerged as the favorites for the team titles at the regional championship meet, following the results of this week's district meets and coupled with their steady progress during the earlier part of the season.

The meet is scheduled for this Thursday, October 30th on Burke Lake Park's 2.98 mile course for the 35th year in a row, with the boys race scheduled for a 3:15 p.m. start and the girls race to begin at 4:00 p.m. with the top four teams and top fifteen individuals automatically qualifying for the AAA state championship meet at Great Meadow in The Plains on Saturday, November 8.

Glory Days Grill Invitational Preview Pearl Watts Oct 08, 2008


The James Robinson boys will be the favorites at Glory Days this weekend and shooting for their second straight invitational victory after winning Octoberfest last Saturday. The Rams should see challenges though from Thomas Jefferson, Potomac Falls, Clarke County, and Gonzaga. (Photo by Ted Plunkett)

The second Saturday in October finds meet management once again very pleased in welcoming all competitors, coaches, parents and other relatives, friends, and also just plain old supporters of high school cross country to the 16th Annual Glory Days Grill Invitational at Bull Run Regional Park.

Everyone involved with the meet is looking forward to another exciting morning and afternoon of racing. with more than 2,500 runners representing 75 different schools from the area scheduled to compete in one of the nine different races to be contested on Bull Run's approximate 5,000 meter (3.1 miles) layout.

Northern Region Meet Preview Pearl Watts Feb 21, 2008

Melanie Akwule
Lake Braddock's Melanie Akwule will be relied on for big points in not only the hurdles as the returning Northern Region runner-up, but also as one of the top seeds in the 55 meter dash, long jump, and triple jump. (Photo by Ted Plunkett)
Patriot District champion Lake Braddock will be among the favorites on both the boys and girls side for the Northern Region Indoor Track and Field Championships, scheduled for this Saturday, February 23 at the George Mason University Fieldhouse; barring inclement weather. The Lake Braddock girls appear to have Concorde District champion Westfield as their closest competition with T.C. Williams also a strong factor and with West Potomac and Robinson having good shots at finishing among the top five in the team scoring. The boys team for the Bruins looks to have an extremely strong challenge from National District titleist Edison with Westfield, South Lakes and Oakton also in contention for the top spot.
 
The meet is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. with field event competition in the boys long jump, girls shot put and girls long jump. Running event trials start at 12:00 p.m. for the girls and boys 55 meter hurdles and 55 dash events while running event finals are slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. in team scoring through eight places on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. More...

Day one report from Patriot District Pearl Watts Feb 07, 2008

The West Potomac boys and the Lake Braddock girls have the early leads after day one of the Patriot District Championships held at Episcopal High School on Wednesday evening, February 6. West Potomac did not win any of the five events completed on the boys side but did finish in second place in four of those events with seniors Emmanual Koduah in the triple jump (41-6.75), Nick Schaum in the pole vault (12-0) and Kerem Ertekin in the shot put (46-6.5). The Lake Braddock girls lead with 33 points after the completion of four of the fifteen events. Senior Melanie Akwule won the triple jump at 36-6.75 and the Bruins received an additional ten points in the shot put from junior Kendra Baity (3rd; 33-4) and senior Anna Brionez (4th; 33-0).

Meet record 3200 runs by Landry and Junta propel TJ squads into leads at Liberty District Pearl Watts Feb 02, 2008

The Jefferson boys lead with 48 points with almost half their points coming in the 3,200 run as senior Brian Landry established a new district meet record of 9:38.35 for the victory; senior Evan Heflin secured a state auto qualifier in second place at 9:41.85 and senior Aaron Bernstein finished fourth in 9:48.92. The Jefferson girls also have the lead after day one with a total of 36 points. The Colonials received a meet record setting performance in the 3,200 run by freshman Lisa Junta (pictured above by Ted Plunkett), as she shaved eight seconds off of her previous best with a winning time of 11:17.87. Read more...

Liberty District Meet Day 1 Results

Northern Region Meet Preview - Girls Pearl Watts Oct 31, 2007

\"\"  Lake Braddock is the defending regional team champion and will be in the favorite's role once again. The Bruins had a solid, if not overwhelming performance, in winning the Patriot District title last Wednesday by 11 points with their first place team total of 48 points. Oakton, the regional winners in 2004 and 2005, have hopes of their third regional title in four years and appear to have the most serious chance of upending Lake Braddock. Individually, the odds on favorite will be junior Lia DiValentin (pictured right by Ted Plunkett) of Chantilly. DiValentin comes into the regional meet with her time from the district meet 23 seconds faster than the next fastest competitor after winning the Concorde title last week in a very good time of 17:38.

Northern Region Meet Preview - Boys Pearl Watts Oct 30, 2007

\"\"
Photo by Ted Plunkett
 
  Burke Lake Park will once again be the site of the Northern Region girls and boys cross country championships this Thursday, with the girls race to begin at 3:15 p.m. followed by the boys race approximately one half hour later.
  Although the course has undergone some slight changes between the 2.2 and 2.6 mile marks this season, it will still be basically the same course, relevant to distance and times, as it has been since the course was lengthened to 2.98 miles way back in 1974.
  Oakton and Jefferson have gone 1-2 in the team scoring for the last four years with Jefferson the regional champs in 2003 and 2004 and Oakton claiming the team title in 2005 and 2006.
  This year looks to be no different as both the Cougars and Colonials once again are fielding the strongest teams in the region and should make it five years in a row with Oakton and/or Jefferson in either first or second place.
 

Glory Days Grill Invitational Preview Pearl Watts Oct 09, 2007

Once again, meet management is very pleased to welcome all the competitors, along with the coaches, parents, other relatives of the participating runners as well as all the other interested followers of cross country, to the 15th Annual Glory Days Grill Invitational at Bull Run Regional Park.
 
  Everyone concerned with the meet will be looking forward to an exciting morning and afternoon of racing, with approximately 1,500 runners reperesenting 70 schools scheduled to compete in one of the nine races to be contested on Bull Run's 5,000 meter (3.1 miles) layout.

Pearl Watts Interview with Alan Webb Pearl Watts Aug 24, 2007

With his first day of competition at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan tomorrow, Alan Webb has finally started to receive some attention for the major media outlets as recent articles published this week on Webb have been found in Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and Washington Post. However, along with the final installment of MileStat.com's video interview being posted on Friday, a familar name who has been covering Alan Webb from the beginning in Northern Virginia high school cross country and track writer Pearl Watts also got a chance to speak with Webb in his final preparation for Worlds. Read on for more.

VHSL Group AAA State Meet Boys Preview by Pearl Watts Pearl Watts Feb 27, 2007

Last year's chase for the boys team title resulted in E.C. Glass winning a relatively low scoring affair among the top teams with 33 points. This year, it appears that it may take at least 40 points to win it all, with Western Branch and Manchester probably having the best chances to top that number. However, stranger things have happened, come state meet time; and with the unpredictability of relay events and the ability of some teams to pile up enough points with just a couple of high scoring individuals, this year's boys meet also appears wide open.

VHSL Group AAA State Meet Girls Preview by Pearl Watts Pearl Watts Feb 27, 2007

Bethel is the defending state indoor champion and continued on their winning ways with a victory last week at the Eastern Region championships. This year's meet features Bethel as one of the favorites again, but there are a host of other schools with a shot at the team title; including Western Branch, Osbourn Park, Midlothian, Centreville, and possibly Deep Run, Landstown and Deep Creek.

Northern Region Meet Preview Pearl Watts Feb 21, 2007

\"\"Centreville and Westfield girls look like they will resume another close scoring encounter from their Concorde District meet, with four time defending champion Lake Braddock along with Patriot District titleist West Potomac and T.C. Williams also appearing able to put pressure near the top at this year's Northern Region Championships to be held this Saturday at the GMU Fieldhouse.Centreville edged Westfield two weeks ago by four points at the Concorde District championships and it looks like a duel between those two schools again, with both the Wildcats and Bulldogs capable of approaching the 70 point mark and all the other schools hard pressed to surpass the 40 point mark.

Concorde District Meet Summary Pearl Watts Feb 13, 2007

The fight for the Concorde District team championships figured to be close between Centreville and Westfield once again, and form prevailed once again as the Westfield girls managed an 11.5 point victory over Centreville only to have the role reversed on the boys side as the Centreville boys squeezed out a four point win over Westfield in the meet held at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Md.

National District Meet Summary Pearl Watts Feb 13, 2007

The Edison boys easily defended their team title and the girls team victory became a co-championship affair as Yorktown and Edison tied at the National District finals concluded at Thomas Jefferson Community Center in Arlington this past Friday.

Patriot District Meet Summary Pearl Watts Feb 13, 2007

The West Potomac girls pulled out a big win over defending champion Lake Braddock and the West Springfield boys eked out the victory in a tight four team battle at the Patriot District championships which concluded this past Saturday at Episcopal High School's Flippin Field House.

Patriot District Meet Preview Pearl Watts Feb 08, 2007

West Potomac is the defending champion, having won the indoor title last year by a rather healthy margin of 27 points with their total of 113. This year West Potomac is one of four teams with a legitimate shot at the team title as it appears that maybe no more than 10-15 points will separate West Potomac, Lake Braddock, West Springfield and South County. The Lake Braddock girls had a truly dominating performance last year in scoring 196 points to win by well over 100 points. The gap has certainly closed somewhat this season, but the Bruins still remain a strong favorite to yet again, capture another district championship.

National District Meet Preview Pearl Watts Feb 06, 2007

Edison girls are the defending champions and even though it looks like they will not be able to approach their 160 point team total from last year, the Eagles are still the favorites. Meanwhile, the defending champion Edison boys graduated numerous seniors off their squad which racked up 199 points last year. However, the Eagles still look strong enough this season to exceed 150 points and probably score twice as many points as the next closest team.

Concorde District Meet Day 1 Highlights Pearl Watts Feb 02, 2007

The Centreville girls team, led by junior Brittni Finch, holds the lead after day one of the Concorde District championships with 43 points. On the boys side, defending champion Centreville leads with 30 points in fairly balanced scoring which sees five schools still within 12 points of each other thus far.