The Bishop O'Connell girls may not be favored to win this weekend's Glory Days Grill Invitational in Manassas with Southeast regionally ranked squads Thomas Jefferson and Lake Braddock in the field, but they certainly could it make close. Closer than most would normally expect even the best private school squad in the state to have a fighting chance against the top public school teams in Virginia, but the 2008 Bishop O'Connell cross country team is not your typical private school state champion caliber squad. A win at the Octoberfest Invitational and 7th place finish at Maymont against a field of ranked teams in Virginia and throughout the Southeast region proved that Coach Cindy Walls has a special group of girls and is doing some great things this fall under her guidance. Led by returning Virginia Independent Schools state cross country champion Megan Fitzpatrick and bolstered by several few faces in senior Claire Whitesell and freshmen Nicole Carty, Coach Walls talks with MileStat.com prior to Glory Days about an outstanding season so far for the Lady Knights and what to look forward for the remainder of this season. More...
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Photos from this past weekend's McDonald's X-Country Festival can be purchased later this week at Brightroom.com. Provide them your email address and bib number and Brightroom will send you an email with a link to your race pictures as soon as they are ready. http://www.brightroom.com/view_event.asp?EVENTID=41287
Coach Patrick Castagno has brought his Tatnall girls to the McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont for the past two years and the meet certainly has served a middle of the season measuring point for the top team in the state of Delaware against some of the best teams in the Southeast region. Tatnall finished second In 2006 and sixth in 2007 at Maymont, but their best performances came toward season's end after Maymont to help qualify them for Nike Team Nationals both seasons. The girls from Wilmington, Delaware have to very encouraged at the potential for this year's group after starting off their 2008 season with a huge win at Maymont on Saturday over nationally ranked and Southeast #1 ranked Collins Hill of Georiga on sixth runner tiebreaker. MileStat.com's Brandon Miles interviews Coach Castagno after their season opening win at Maymont.
Photo by Tom Hoerner The Blacksburg girls have been the top program in Group AA over the past few years, but have always been stuck in the second spot when it came to looking state-wide in Virginia in comparison to the Midlothian program, which has won the last three Group AAA state cross country titles as well as qualified for Nike Team Nationals in 2006. The girls from Blacksburg may have just gotten over the hump this past weekend when they finished ahead of Midlothian in the invitational division at Maymont to become the first in-state team to defeat the Lady Trojans in quite sometime in cross country. However, Blacksburg coach James DeMarco and his team know full well that Midlothian will have better days ahead this fall after a subpar major invitational opener. MileStat.com's Brandon Miles interviews the Blacksburg coach after a great weekend for not only the Blacksburg girls, but the Blacksburg boys as their male counterparts appear to be a squad which can make it onto the podium at Great Meadow this November.
Many new schools competing in the invitational division at the Maymont Festival for the first time can find the fields assembled to be intimidating and not perform as well. However, the Collins Hill boys and girls from Sewanee, Georgia did not seem detered at all this past weekend as the girls finished second on a 6th runner tiebreaker to Tatnall of Delaware, while the boys were a big surprise to sneak into second place ahead of several ranked teams and bubble teams in the Southeast region. MileStat.com's Brandon Miles interview the Collins Hill coach Andrew Hudson about his team's performances this past weekend in Richmond.
Trinity's Barbara Strehler won the Coastal Division in a time of 19:14, which was impressive considering 19:13 was the cutoff for a top 10 performance in the more competitive invitational division earlier. A gallery of many of the high school individual race champions from the 2008 McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont. Photos included of 14 race champions on the day.
Highlights and Results from: NB Ocean State Inv. (RI), McDonald's XC Festival (VA), McQuaid Inv. (NY), Roy Griak Inv. (MN), Stanford Inv. (CA), Carlisle Inv. (PA), Jim Danner Inv. (OR), Culver Inv. (IN), Palatine Inv. (IL), LoboCat Inv. (CO), Albuquerque Academy Inv. (NM) & Midwest Meet of Champs. (OH) The best weekend yet. That's an easy way to describe this weekend's national cross country action. Most of the top teams in the land took part in an invitational, with some teams coming up very big. US#5 York (IL) kicked off their season by winning the Palatine Invitational, one of the big highlights of the weekend thus far.
Marsico runs away from field with first sub 18 performance ever at Maymont! Both Megan Marsico of Glenvar and Ben Dejarnette of Atlee earned big wins at Saturday's McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont in the invitational divisions, which featured many of Virginia's best as well as strong out-of-state additions. Marsico ran away from a field which included a 4:48 1600 meter runner in Amanda Winslow from Collins Hill (GA) and returning Foot Locker finalist Kathleen Lautzenheiser with a time just under 18 minutes at 17:55 and 27 seconds ahead of runner-up Winslow. Lautzenheiser had a solid run for third as she actually ran faster her 2007 winning team, but it was not the best of days for her top state ranked Midlothian team as the squad finished fourth in the team standings and behind VA #2 Blacksburg, who placed 3rd. It was a thriller for first place though between out-of-state nationally ranked squads in Tatnall (DE) and Collins Hill (GA) as it took a sixth runner tiebreaker to give Tatnall the win over the top ranked Southeast squad Collins Hill. Invitational Girls Team Scores: 1. Tatnall DE - 69 pts 2. Collins Hill GA - 69 pts 3. Blacksburg VA - 116 pts 4. Midlothian VA - 169 pts 5. Hidden Valley VA - 180 pts 6. Science Hill TN - 240 pts 7. Bishop O'Connell VA - 272 pts 8. T.C. Roberson NC - 283 pts 9. Brentsville District VA - 290 pts 10. Eleanor Roosevelt MD - 291 pts 11. Clarke County VA - 294 pts 12. Oak Ridge TN - 298 pts 13. Archmere Academy DE - 312 pts 14. Maggie Walker VA - 313 pts 15. West Springfield VA - 329 pts 16. Millbrook VA - 332 pts 17. Cardinal Gibbons NC - 333 pts 18. Potomac Falls VA - 435 pts 19. Albemarle - 438 pts 20. Western Albemarle VA - 469 pts 21. Deep Run VA - 485 pts Invitational Girls Top 15 Individuals: 1. Megan Marsico (Glenvar VA) 17:55 2. Amanda Winslow (Collins Hill GA) 18:22 3. Kathleen Lautzenheiser (Midlothian VA) 18:31 4. Juliet Bottorff (Tatnall DE) 18:36 5. Nicky Akande (Collins Hill GA) 18:43 6. Allie Scalf (Science Hill TN) 18:53 7. Vicky Winslow (Collins Hill GA) 18:58 8. Katie Beunaga (Tatnall DE) 19:02 9. Haley Pierce (Tatnall DE) 19:08 10. Lindsey Olivere (Archmere Academy DE) 19:13 11. Allison Homer (Blacksburg) 19:25 12. Teshika Rivers (Eleanor Roosevelt MD) 19:30 13. Annie LeHardy (Hidden Valley VA) 19:32 14. Joanna Stevens (Blacksburg VA) 19:33 15. Sophia Holmes (Clarke County VA) 19:40 Dejarnette comes out on top in race of juggernauts (5 of top 6 ranked in VA)! Atlee senior Ben Dejarnette showed very little race rust in his first serious 5K race of the season against a loaded field which included 5 of the top 6 ranked harriers in Virginia as well as a handful of out-of-state stars as well. Dejarnette used the downhill in the re-entry to Maymont Park to pull away from a pack which included current #1 ranked runner Andrew Colley of Jamestown and never relinquished the gap of separation for 15:40 win. Colley finished with a solid runner-up performance in 15:42, but more importantly was part of an impressive team victory for the VA #1 and SE #2 Jamestown boys who placed 3 runners in the top 10 with Colley, Colin Mearns (9th, 16:15), and John Holt (10th, 16:28). Jamestown ran without usual #4 runner Russell Hornsby, but saw the Schlickenmeyer brothers step up in the fourth and fifth spots to secure a win at Maymont quite convincingly. Collins Hill of Georgia had a successful first experience at Maymont with runner-up finishes to show on both sides as their unranked boys slipped into the #2 spot behind Jamestown. Invitational Boys Team Scores: 1. Jamestown VA - 109 pts 2. Collins Hill GA - 138 pts 3. Broughton NC - 181 pts 4. Medina OH - 194 pts 5. James Robinson VA - 202 pts 6. Clarke County VA - 240 pts 7. Blacksburg VA - 240 pts 8. Potomac Falls VA - 255 pts 9. Calvert Hall College MD - 256 pts 10. Atlee VA - 267 pts 11. Green Hope NC - 281 pts 12. Western Albemarle VA - 281 pts 13. Oak Ridge TN - 292 pts 14. Brentsville VA - 349 pts 15. Douglas Freeman VA - 361 pts 16. Albemarle - 377 pts 17. Kellam VA - 381 pts 18. West Springfield VA - 393 pts 19. Thomas Edison VA - 415 pts 20. Spotswood VA - 424 pts 21. Good Counsel MD - 471 pts 22. Maggie Walker VA - 523 pts 23. Montgomery Blair MD - 562 pts 24. Midlothian VA - 634 pts Invitational Boys Top 15 Individuals: 1. Ben Dejarnette (Atlee VA) 15:40 2. Andrew Colley (Jamestown VA) 15:42 3. Kyle Satterwhite (Western Albemarle VA) 15:59 4. Matt Sonnfeldt (West TN) 16:02 5. Donny Roys (Medina OH) 16:06 6. Leoule Degfae (Thomas Edison VA) 16:11 7. Ben Veillieux (Clarke County VA) 16:11 8. Bobb Peavey (Kellam VA) 16:12 9. Colin Mearns (Jamestown VA) 16:15 10. John Holt (Jamestown VA) 16:28 11. Alex Ott (Turner Ashby VA) 16:34 12. Tyler Stutzman (Western Albemarle VA) 16:37 13. Matt Howard (Blacksburg VA) 16:38 14. Josh Hardin (Potomac Falls VA) 16:42 15. Reidy Jones (Broughton NC) 16:43 Maymont Results: Invitational Boys - Invitational Girls - Coastal Boys - Coastal Girls - Silver Boys - Silver Girls - Bronze Boys - Bronze Girls - Private School Boys - Private School Girls - JV Red Boys - JV Red Girls - JV White Boys - JV White Girls - JV Private School Boys - JV Private School Girls - Freshmen Boys - Freshmen Girls Maymont Photos: Riefner Gallery - 1,003 photos total. Hoerner Gallery - 372 photos total. Miles Gallery - 1,375 photos total. More photos to be added. Maymont Race Videos: Invitational Girls - Invitational Boys - More to be added. Maymont Interviews: Megan Marsico (Girls Race Winner) - Ben Dejarnette (Boys Race Winner) - Coach Townsend (Boys Team Champions)
The Midlothian girls and Kathleen Lautzenheiser return as defending champions from last year's invitational division race at the McDonald's X-Country Festival. This weekend will be the first major 5K race of the season for the Group AAA state team and individual champions and both will be given stiff challenges this weekend at Maymont in their "icebreaker" race of the season. Lautzenheiser's losses to in-state competition have been quite rare over the past year. However, a new challenger may be emerging from a small school in Southwest Virginia and this weekend will likely be the only time until the post-season that two of Virginia's best will be in the same race together. Megan Marsico is the state leader at 5K (17:59) and 3 miles (16:58) and has broken several course and meet records including Catherine White's meet record time at the Knights Crossing Invite. She is certainly running at the level of an athlete who has a realistic shot of becoming a Foot Locker finalist, which Lautzenheiser happens to be. Georgia school Collins Hill is making their first trip north to Maymont all the way from Suwanee, Georgia and should make quite a first impression this weekend in Richmond. Midlothian girls are the defending champions in the field, but Collins Hill has to be considered the favorites with a potent lineup which has garnered them a #1 ranking in the Southeast region. Read more...
The 2008 McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont will not only help sort out who will be the favorites for state cross country titles this fall, but also who will be the runners and team seeing themselves racing into December in either Portland or San Diego this season. The Jamestown boys (Williamsburg, VA) have been racing at the Maymont Festival for years and this year's meet could be the most important as the top ranked team in Virginia and #2 ranked team in the Southeast region will be the squad which everyone else in the invitational division will be attempting to measure themselves up against and try to knock off the top ranked school from Williamsburg. The race for first among the top individuals should be even more exciting and wide open with five of the top six ranked runners in Virginia in the field as well as 12 of the top 15. Read more... Pictured left by John Herzog: Andrew Colley of Jamestown is the top individual returnee from the 2007 Maymont Festival as Colley placed 3rd in the invite field behind Peter Dorrell and Jason Witt in a time of 15:39.
MileStat.com will be providing in-depth coverage of this weekend's big event in Richmond with plenty of results, stories, photos, videos, interviews, and more from the 2008 McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont. The invitational division has the featured races of the meet with many of the state's best teams and individuals fighting for bragging rights not only in Virginia, but throughout the Southeast region as many Southeast region ranked teams and bubble teams have made their way to Virginia to compete. Race Videos: Open 5K - Elementary School Boys Mile - Elementary School Girls Mile Teams By Division Starting Blocks by Team and by Race Preview Articles: Invitational Boys - Invitational Girls Sports Backers Preview: Record Entries, Strongest Southeast Field Ever at Maymont Meet Website Last Year's Coverage & Results
The 16th Carlisle Invitational is shaping up to be quite a show this weekend. On the boys side the top 6 ranked teams in the state will be in attendance, and top 5 for the girls.
McQuaid, Suffolk Coaches, and Ocean State lead the way this weekend as ArmoryTrack.com spreads out and tries to cover as much as possible. FM vs. Burnt Hills at McQuaid should be about as exciting as it gets. The Hoffman Invitationl at St. Lawrence shoudl be a great NCAA DIII meet as it previews the natioal qualifier course.
List of teams by divisions who will be competing at next weekend's McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont. A total of 125 schools and 2865 athletes are entered in the 2008 event. (9/22 update) List of Maymont Teams by Division
A four part interview with Sports Backers executive director Jon Lugbill discussing various topics including the purpose of Sports Backers and its impact on the running community in the Richmond area, the changes being made for this year's Maymont Festival, the bidding process for the 2008 USATF Junior Olympic National Cross Country Championships and improvements being made to the Pole Green Course, and raising the profile of running to the general public. Interview with Jon Lugbill of Sports Backers: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 Maymont X-Country Festival Website USATF Junior Olympic National XC Championships Website
Photo by John Herzog With one of the strongest high school cross country fields in the Southeast region year in and year out, the McDonald’s X-country Festival at Maymont will once again deliver a top-notch event to its top-notch competitors this weekend in Richmond. “I would say it was stronger than last year,” says event director Dan Ward. “And last year it was one of the top meets in the Southeast. We have schools from 10 states and the District of Columbia. They’re coming from as far south as Georgia, as far north as New York and as far west as Colorado.” Ward points out that the McDonald’s X-country Festival at Maymont, which has signed up 125 teams with over 2,865 runners, an all-time record, will have more Nike ranked and bubble teams at the national, regional and state level than any other meet in the Southeast. Read on for full story...
Virtual meet scoring previews for this weekend's McDonald's X-Country Festival at Maymont using times from this season so far as well as last year. These virtual meets should not be viewed as any form of accurate predictions, but as a starting point to seeing who might be some of the top individuals and teams this weekend at Maymont. One can infer that the Midlothian girls and Jamestown boys appear to be the top teams in Virginia heading into the meet and that both will not only be challenged by in-state rivals, but outstanding out-of-state teams with the SE #1 Collins Hill girls of Georgia as one of several nationally ranked squads in the field, while Medina of Ohio is back to defend their title from a year ago and North Carolina squads Green Hope and Broughton are hoping a Maymont win will give them the same boost towards the dream of qualifying for Nike Cross Nationals as it worked for the Chapel Hill boys at the 2006 Maymont Festival. A more in-depth preview article for Maymont will be posted soon.