VHSL State Cross Country Championships 2009

2009 VHSL - Group A - Girls

2009 VHSL - Group A - Boys

2009 VHSL - Group AA - Girls

2009 VHSL - Group AA -Boys

2009 VHSL - Group AAA - Girls

2009 VHSL - Group AAA - Boys

Strasburg so Katlyn Ayers won the Group A girls state title in a time of 19:03.

Clarke County sr Adam Owens won the Group A Boys state title with a time of 16:32.

The Stevens twins of Blacksburg went 1-2 in the Group A race as Kathleen Stevens set a new course record with her time of 17:34.

Kyle King of Grafton won the Group AA boys title with a time of 16:01.

Matt Howard, the lone senior on the Group AA boys team champions from Blacksburg.

Mountain View senior Kaitlin Davis won the Group AAA girls state title with a time of 18:21.

Ted Richardson of James River won the Group AAA state title with the day's fastest time in 15:34.

Kaitlyn Ayers of Strasburg and the George Mason girls won state titles

Adam Owens and the Clarke County boys won Group A state titles.

Kathleen Stevens of Blacksburg and the Hidden Valley girls win Group AA state titles.

Kyle King of Grafton and the Blacksburg boys won Group AA state titles.

Kaitlin Davis of Mountain View and the Lake Braddock girls win Group AAA state titles.

Ted Richardson of James River and the Mountain View boys won Group AAA state titles.

Photos taken by Tom Hoerner of the VHSL State Cross Country Championships on November 14th, 2009 at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia

With all the regional meets completed and only the state championships ahead, MileStat.com releases its updated individual state rankings with top 25 deep per classification and top 15 all-class rankings. Private school rankings to be posted later this week with separating rankings for Division I and Division II.

Updated state team rankings heading into this weekend's VHSL State Championships at Great Meadow. Hidden Valley girls take over the #1 spot after their regional victory over previous #1 Blacksburg. Each classification is listed 16 deep of all teams who have qualified for state meet competition. Private school team rankings will be posted later in the week when we receive the official list of who will be competing in Division I and Division II in Friday's championship meet at Woodberry Forest.

West Springfield senior Paige Kvartunas just claimed her first regional title last Thursday with a 17:36 victory on a slightly longer Burke Lake Park (3.01 mile course), which would convert down to place her high on the historic 2.98 mile course's all-time list among some past greats in the Northern Region's history. She had never won a district title or earned All-State honors entering her last season of cross country, yet the late-bloomer Kvartunas heads into Saturday's VHSL State Championships as one of several runners capable of stealing the win from some of the more established favorites. After helping West Springfield win their first district cross country team title in many years, Kvartunas and Lady Spartans are also aiming to pull off another stunner in championship season and find their way onto the podium with a top three team finish. The hills at Great Meadow will certainly be their friends as the West Springfield girls went through a challenging race schedule this fall competing on many of the hillier courses in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Landstown senior Stephanie Frenchik’s time of 18:22 at Bells Mill Park at the Eastern Region Meet last Thursday is significant because it is three seconds faster than the 2008 performance by last year’s Group AAA state cross country champion Stacey Nobles on the same course at the 2008 Eastern Region Meet. Frenchik had just barely qualified for the state meet last year with a 15th place finish in the regional race and fast forward one year later and she just won the Eastern Region title by 33 seconds with hopes of finishing high in the field and possibly contend at Great Meadow this weekend.

Three years ago at the 2006 VHSL State Championships, a young Drew Paisley was the top finishing freshmen in the entire meet as a ninth grader at Ocean Lakes High School. Since then other runners have risen and emerged to become the best in the class of 2010 runners, but Paisley will have the opportunity in his final state cross country meet this weekend to again regain his status on the top of the class. Coming off a mild upset win at the Eastern Region Meet against Blake Theroux (the top returnee from last year's AAA state race), Paisley will be an underdog once again as he attempts to become the first Eastern Region boys cross country state champion since Seneca Lassiter of Lafayette won back in 1993. He is also receiving some pretty good advice and support heading into this weekend from last year's girls state champion and Ocean Lakes grad Stacey Nobles, who happens to be Paisley's girlfriend and knows a thing or two about being an underdog heading into a state championship race.

Strasburg sophomore Katlyn Ayers figured to be the third best runner in the Group A classification coming into the season but injuries to defending champion and course record holder Megan Marsico of Glenvar and Natalie Young of George Mason have opened the door of opportunity for Ayers to win her first state title. She has went undefeated in all of her races this season and another first place finish should be in the works for her on Saturday at Great Meadow.

Jamestown's Colin Mearns will look to become Jamestown’s second individual state champion in a row and follow in the footsteps of last year’s Group AA champion Andrew Colley, who set a new course record. Mearns appears to be taking his running to another level at season’s end similar to last fall when he had a great stretch of races extending into December for the Nike Cross Nationals.  Mearns is the top returnee from last year’s state race with his 15:28 fourth place finish among a collection of stars in the outstanding class of 2009 runners.

This year's VHSL State Championships could be a historic meet for the Northwest Region. The Northwest Region has arguably the greatest assembly of individual state title contenders with a big three in seniors Kaitlyn Davis of Mountain View, Ariel Karabinus of Osbourn Park, and Katherine Walker of Brooke Point. Meanwhile, the Mountain View boys will look to not only get on the state meet podium for the second time in three years, but also claim the school’s first state title. In the first cross country season without Thomas Porter leading the Wildcats, Mountain View is in its best situation since the school opened five years ago to win a state cross country team title.

No new rankings for each classification as there was a state meet this past weekend to settle those debates, but an updated All-Class state rankings is now released with the top 15 ranked teams and top 25 ranked individuals in the state of Virginia. Nike Cross Southeast Regionals and Foot Locker South in two weeks will help determine the end of season rankings.