Chancellor Invitational 2001

FREDRICKSBURG, VA -- Two of the premier distance runners in the state, senior Matt Gutridge of Caroline and junior Jemissa Hess of C.D. Hylton will kick their seasons off as favorites in their opening season races as both are set to compete at the Chancellor Invitational this Saturday on the challenging Loriella Park 5K course. The boys race is schedule to start at 10:00 AM with the girls following at 10:30.

Gutridge is coming off an excellent junior year, where he couldn't have capped it off any better. In the 3200 meter race at the Group AA Outdoor Track State Meet, Gutridge had the race of his life as he beat many quality runners including Bryce Ruiz, Daniel Kane, and John Crews and in the process gave Bobby Lockhart a scare as he finished 2nd with a new PR of 9:29.

However, Gutridge will face some stiff challenges in this year's race. Returning champion and Battlefield District rival, Dustin Bartley of Spotsylvania hopes to have a good opening race after dealing with an injury plagued junior season.

One of Gutridge's biggest threats will be Colonial Forge junior Mike Porter. Porter had a sensational sophomore year where he clocked bests of 4:25 (1600) and 9:36 (3200) on the track. Currently, Porter is ranked 7th in Group AAA.

James Wood's Nicholas Kelchner should also be a contender in the race after clocking a 16:33 on the state course last year.

The boys team race should come down to be a duel between James Wood and Colonial Forge. James Wood will be the favorite as they are the returning Chancellor Invitational champions and return 6 of their 7 runners from last year's squad. James Wood is also ranked 4th in Group AA. However, Colonial Forge should close the gap on James Wood with the steady improvement of their talented top 3 of Porter, Sean Leyh, and Brandon Swecker. James Wood's depth though, could cause some problems for the Eagles.

The girls race should be a great showdown between C.D. Hylton junior Jemissa Hess, North Stafford senior Kristyn Shiring, and James Wood sophomore Kristen Novara. All three runners are ranked in the top ten in the state with Hess ranked 4th, Shiring ranked 5th and Novara ranked 8th. Hess will be the favorite as she was a third place finisher at last year's state meet and was a runner-up in the 1600 during the outdoor track season. Frequent opponents last year, Shiring and Novara battled it out back forth with no one knowing who really was the better runner. But as of late, Shiring seems to have outdistanced herself from rival Novara as she put together an excellent track season where she went under 11 in the 3200 and was a state runner-up at that same distance as well. Novara will try to get one last victory over Shiring before she graduates as they will race less frequently now that Novara has moved down with her team in Group AA.

Also to play a major role in the race will be Brooke Point sophomore Jessica Hoppe who is currently ranked 9th in Group AAA.

In the team race, Brooke Point, ranked 8th in the state and 4th in Group AAA, looks to runaway with the title.