Coverage

Dorrell bests national class field, Medina (OH) shows SE boys have some work to do Sep 30, 2007

Coming into the 2007 Maymont Festival, Blacksburg's Peter Dorrell still felt he had something to prove. His track credentials with bests of 4:15 for 1600 and 9:09 for 3200 meters to go along with a state meet championship triple should have been enough, but still his name had not been given the same vote of confidence as others who had superior cross country seasons last fall in fellow Virginians Griff Graves, Jason Witt, and Thomas Porter. After his 15:31 course win over the foremention runners in the invitational division this weekend in Richmond, Dorrell can now be considered just as good of a cross country runner as he is a track runner. Dorrell and Midlothian's Jason Witt broke away from the rest of the field in the last mile, but it took a strong surge from Dorrell in the long downhill leading into the 4K mark to shake his final challenger in Witt, who ended up second in 15:35.The Southeast boys clearly have a lot of work to do in order to catch up with the rest of the nation's cross country teams as Medina of Ohio came in to beat virtually the best that the region has to offer including US #6 and Southeast #1 Oakton. Medina was not even ranked in the top 10 in the Midwest region coming into this weekend, yet still pulled out a 12 point win over Southeast #1 Oakton (146 pts) with a team score of 134. Oakton still remains as the top team in the Southeast as the squads finishing behind them certainly were no slouches.Two state champion teams from a year ago in AAA's Midlothian and AA's Brentsville showed some fight in them after taking humbling early season losses. Midlothian was easily defeated by Oakton earlier at Great Meadow in a fourth place finish, but was only 16 points behind at Maymont in third place. Meanwhile, Brentsville had to have been a bigger surprise going against higher ranked AA squads in Western Albemarle and Jamestown to come out in fifth place (162 pts) at Maymont to defeat Southeast #3 and AA #1 Jamestown (8th, 234 pts) and AA #2 Western Albemarle (6th, 194 pts). Oak Ridge of Tennessee (178 pts) was able to finish right in the middle of the Virginian schools in fourth place to improve five places from their 2006 Maymont finish.More to come on the Maymont boys

US #4 Midlothian girls & Lautzenheiser make national statements in Maymont wins Sep 30, 2007

US #4 Midlothian girls came ready to make a statement at the Maymont Festival's invitational division race as the Lady Trojans put four runners in a loaded top 20 to take the team title by a 42 point margin of victory against a great field which included two fellow US top 25 squads. Midlothian was led by individual champion Kathleen Lautzenheiser (pictured right by John Herzog) as the sophomore broke away from a pack of a half dozen with well under a mile left for a 18:41 5K win. The state of Maryland was well represented with US #6 Eleanor Roosevelt in second place in their first 5K race of the fall, while Southeast Region bubble team Winston Churchill stepped it up big to take third place honors over many quality teams. The Blacksburg girls showed themselves as a team to be reckoned with taking the next highest place by a Virginian squad after Midlothian in fourth despite not having their top runners at full strength. Joining Lautzenheiser under 19 minutes from Virginia in the invitational race were Liz Barclay (3rd, 18:49), Laura Rapp (5th, 18:51), Paige Johnston (6th, 18:55), Kristen Wolfe (7th, 18:58). More on the Maymont girls...

Maymont, ECU, GXCI, Volunteer, Citadel- Big Weekend Recap Sep 29, 2007

 North Carolina teams were all over this weekend. Most were either at the Greensboro Invitational or at East Carolina. However, a few teams traveled to Virginia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Results, meet summaries, photo galleries, and videos.  

2007 Maymont Festival - Miles Collection Sep 29, 2007

Photos taken by Brandon Miles from the 2007 McDonald's Maymont Festival held at Maymont Park in Richmond, Virginia on Friday and Saturday, September 28th and 29th.

Maymont Pre-Meet Interview with Griff Graves Sep 28, 2007

Maymont Festival pre-meet interview on Friday at the course with Abingdon's Griff Graves. Graves leads one of the state's most loaded individual fields ever in state history on the boys' side as the #1 ranked runner in Virginia currently.

9/29 WKND: GFS boys/Spence/CV 2pt over O\'Hara girls|Uville in NJ|Millhouse-N Penn|video on Sep 28, 2007

  Video posted for Paul Short and CARLISLE.Photo galleries for Carlisle and Cougar NJ All weekend results posted, including Cochranton Inv At Paul Short, Neely Spence soloed to a 17:37. Cumberland Valley girls nip Cardinal O'Hara by two points. Germantown Friends escaped with a win. At Colts Neck NJ, Christine Smith led Unionville to the team win. Colts Neck's #1 runner was held out. At Carlisle, North Penn boys defeated a strong field, including Upper Dublin, North Allegheny, Coatesville and Holy Ghost Prep. Kara Millhouse was just three seconds off the course record, outkicking Rachel Wong. At the Spiked Shoe rematch between Central Cambria and Lewisburg, Carly Seymour still was victorious, but this time Lewisburg took the team win, by a single point. At Maymont VA, Baldwin takes 3rd in the Gold Division behind David Adley's win. Click here for a video interview with David by Virginia's MileSplit editor Brandon Miles. In Maryland at the Bull Run Invitational, Strath Haven's girls were 2nd int he elite race by a single point on six man scoring.  At the Bulldog Invitational Chris Bodary wins the large school race in 15:35.40.  Shaniel Chambers won the large school girls race in 19:13.80. Quick college notes from Paul Short: Liz Costello (Conestoga '05) ran 2nd for a dominant Princeton team, finishing 6th overall. Brad Miller (Manheim Township '05), ran 3rd for 2nd place Syracuse. 

Maymont Festival - Invitational Girls Preview Sep 28, 2007

Three US top 25 nationally ranked programs in a Virginia high school cross country race? Could be a first in state history.  We will let the old-timer historians confirm, but regardless if it is a first or not, it bodes well for the McDonald's Maymont Festival in establishing itself as a nationally recognized event. Virginia's own Midlothian girls lead the group as the US #4 ranked squad with fellow 2006 NTN teams from the Southeast in US #6 Eleanor Roosevelt of Maryland and US #22 Tatnall of Delaware also coming into Richmond this weekend. The reunion of last year's Southeast representatives in Portland, Oregon will be the focus of the invitational girls division at the Maymont Festival, but there will also be an entire filled with outstanding teams and individuals. NTN regionally ranked squads, state champion teams, Footlocker hopefuls, and state champion individuals will not be hard to find among the faces and jerseys at the line for the 10:15 am start time in the invitational division.Top 10 predictions posted. Full preview to be posted later! 

Maymont Festival - Invitational Boys Preview Sep 28, 2007

 The invitational boys division for the 2007 McDonald's Maymont Festival will be comprised of a US #6 squad, 6 NTN regionally ranked squads, and 5 NTN regional bubble teams to make for another heavyweight showdown with teams looking to putthemselves into position as legitimate NTN qualifiers this fall. Last year at Maymont,  the North Carolina's Chapel Hill boys certainly improved their stock drastically by winning over a loaded Maymont field filled with ranked teams. Meanwhile, the individual race could be even more exciting than in 2006 when Mike Spooner and Griff Graves had a classic duel with Spooner coming away as the victor in a course record time of 15:35. Graves is back this year as a returning Footlocker finalist along with Mountain View's Thomas Porter in a rare regular season meeting of two runners with experience racing at Balboa Park in December. Joining them in the race will be national caliber runners from Virginia with Footlocker National aspirations in Blacksburg's Peter Dorrell and Midlothian's Jason Witt. Nine of the top ten ranked runners in Virginia will be in the race, while five of the top six teams will be in the invitational division as well. Also one cannot forget the teams and individuals in the top division from Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Maymont Mania Week! Sep 27, 2007

 Virginia high school cross country's version of Monday Night Football is quickly approaching and we will be building the momentum into Friday and Saturday's Maymont Cross Country Festival in Richmond with plenty of pre-meet hype and coverage. The invitational divisions on Saturday will have an amazing assembly of Virginia's best as well as many great out-of-state competitiors in the Southeast region's strongest invitational with four US top 25 teams and 11 NTN regionally ranked squads. Virginia's finest do not have to travel far to face the best that the Southeast has to offer thanks to the Richmond Sports Backers and meet director Dan Ward. However, the Maymont experience is definitely not exclusive to those elite teams and individuals and will be enjoyed by all 110 high school teams represented in Richmond this weekend. Throw in the participants in the open 5K, youth races, and half marathon along with the many spectators and coaches, Maymont expects to be the biggest cross country event ever in state history! Plenty to come throughout the week! More... Maymont Festival Video Central - Find videos from last year's races and course tour posted, while Thursday's meet previews, Friday's pre-meet interviews, and Saturday's races and post-meet interviews will be coming as each day passes!

Maymont Festival - Meet Video Previews Sep 27, 2007

Two parts of a meet video preview by Brandon Miles for the 2007 McDonald's Maymont Festival to be held Friday and Saturday, September 28th and 29th at Maymont Park in Richmond, Virginia.

Maymont Box Assignments Sep 27, 2007

 Box team assignments for Saturday's high school races at the 2007 McDonald's Maymont X-Country Festival.

Maymont X-Country Festival Entries Sep 21, 2007

Entries for the 2007 McDonald's Maymont Festival, which the high school portion of the meet will be held on Saturday, September 29th at Maymont Park in Richmond. Entries broken down by each race division and include individual runners competing for each team in those divisions as well as a separate entries list by teams. Maymont Entries by DivisionMaymont Entries by Teams: Boys - Girls 

McDonald Sep 07, 2007

Team registration for the 5th annual McDonald’s X-Country Festival at Maymont, which has quickly become one of the top high school meets in the country, is scheduled to close at 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 9.  Registration is available at www.directathletics.com and meet information can be found at www.sportsbackers.org.   The meet will once again boast a high quality field featuring top schools from Virginia and throughout the mid-Atlantic and southeast. In 2006 high school meet director Dan Ward has made the recruitment of top teams a priority and has succeeded in turning the McDonald’s X-Country Festival at Maymont into a must-do event for the country’s top teams.

Maymont entry update: 3 Footlocker finalists, 13 NTN ranked teams Aug 22, 2007

Entries for Maymont to Close Sept. 9th   As of 8/22/07, schools from 11 different states have entered the McDonald’s X-C Festival at Maymont Park in Richmond, VA.  The September 29th event expects to draw 3000 athletes.  The event is a true festival with a carnival like atmosphere and many attractions for all.       Heading the competition will be the Elite Invitational Divisions.  In the girls division an astounding 7 out of 10 NTN Southeast Region ranked teams have committed to compete.  At least 3 other bubble teams are entered.  U.S. #2 Midlothian and #13 Eleanor Roosevelt are featured.  In the boys field, 5 of 10 NTN Southeast teams are joined by Midwest #8 Medina, Ohio and 3 bubble teams.  U.S. #10 Midlothian is featured.    The individual races will be intense with at least 3 Footlocker Finalists in the boys race.  More information on individuals will be released next week.    Teams from VA, NC, SC, GA, TN, MD, DE, WVa, OH, PA, and D.C. are already entered.

Maymont entry update: 3 Footlocker finalists, 13 NTN ranked teams Aug 22, 2007

Entries for Maymont to Close Sept. 9th   As of 8/22/07, schools from 11 different states have entered the McDonald’s X-C Festival at Maymont Park in Richmond, VA.  The September 29th event expects to draw 3000 athletes.  The event is a true festival with a carnival like atmosphere and many attractions for all.       Heading the competition will be the Elite Invitational Divisions.  In the girls division an astounding 7 out of 10 NTN Southeast Region ranked teams have committed to compete.  At least 3 other bubble teams are entered.  U.S. #2 Midlothian and #13 Eleanor Roosevelt are featured.  In the boys field, 5 of 10 NTN Southeast teams are joined by Midwest #8 Medina, Ohio and 3 bubble teams.  U.S. #10 Midlothian is featured.    The individual races will be intense with at least 3 Footlocker Finalists in the boys race.  More information on individuals will be released next week.    Teams from VA, NC, SC, GA, TN, MD, DE, WVa, OH, PA, and D.C. are already entered.

Maymont Festival Time Schedule Aug 09, 2007

Time schedule of the high school divisions for the 2007 Maymont Festival is now posted. Take note of the descriptions of each race division in terms of which schools will be eligible, suggested teams, and athlete capacity of 250 runners in each division. For more information visit the meet's website at: http://sportsbackers.org/xcountry_festival_team_info.htm

Maymont Invitational Division Update Jul 23, 2007

Its great to be the king! But it won't be easy at the 2007 Maymont Festival! With the likes of Thomas Porter and Jason Witt competing alongside their teams in Mountain View and Midlothian respectively as well as Blacksburg's Peter Dorrell racing individually in the invitational division at the Maymont Festival...to be crowned "King of the Festival" as Mike Spooner (pictured above) was in 2006 after dueling it out with fellow Footlocker finalist Griff Graves, it will take a great race from either of the previously mentioned individuals as well as any others. The invitational division for the 2007 Maymont Festival, which saw many Nike Team Nationals regionally ranked squads as well as three eventual Nike Team Nationals selected teams in 2006, is shaping up once again to have a loaded field of many of the top teams in the Southeast region looking to pick up head to head wins and help their case with the new points system for at-large berths in Nike Team Nationals. Some of the top boys' teams in the Southeast will be present for Maymont as many out-of-state squads will be venturing to Richmond to test themselves against the region's deepest state in relation to top tier teams. The best teams from Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee found out finishing behind a total of seven Virginia teams in 2006 with North Carolina's Chapel Hill as the team champions able to stop a complete Virginia dominance in the field. Chapel Hill's victory at Maymont was very helpful in landing them a second consecutive trip to Portland, Oregon for NTN along with a strong close at the North Carolina State Championships. Read more...

Don\'t make a mistake and miss the 2007 Maymont Festival Jun 27, 2007

Photo by John Herzog The McDonald\'s Maymont X-Country Festival will once again be held on the last weekend of September as this year\'s date is September 28th and 29th in Richmond, Virginia. Last year\'s invitational division of Maymont gathered one of the best fields in the entire Southeast Region as three eventual Nike Team Nationals bound squads competed including Maymont champions in the Eleanor Roosevelt girls of Maryland and Chapel Hill boys of North Carolina. A total of 4,1000 runners competed in the 2006 event held a the beautiful Maymont Park in Richmond. There was no disputing last year, it was the most competitive invitational held in the state of Virginia and ranked alongside the Great American Festival in Alabama as one of the best in the Southeast last fall. Last year\'s invitational boys division saw many state champion squads round out the bottom half of the field.