Liz Twentyman (Oct. 18, 2001)

Many Mason harriers ran their best times of the season yesterday on Brentsville’s flat, fast course. Sophomore Andrew Montgomery strode into a first place finish, with a time of 16:55, while junior Annie Maynard captured first in the girls’ race with a time of 20:11.

Montgomery, followed by Mark Murchie (second), Casey Winzeler (third), and Orie Bumgarner (fourth), led the boys team to a first place finish. The girls, with two of their top five runners (Liz Twentyman and Alison Penland) out with minor injuries, placed second in the three-team field.

It was the first time this season that Mason had a chance to run against Brentsville, their main competition in the district. Brentsville has traditionally been a stiff competitor, placing first in the state last year. Even so, girls’ co-captain Christina Christianson admits that "the race was not a very good precursor to the post-season. Mason was side-lined with injuries, and Brentsville clearly did not run their hardest. As a result, neither team showed its full hand." 

Despite the number of injured runners, Coach Bravin remains optimistic about the district meet. "I made the choice to keep several runners from racing today mainly because I want them to recover fully in time for districts," said Bravin.

The District meet, next Wednesday at Madison County High School, is clearly on the team’s mind. Boys’ co-captain Josh Singer said, "I’m excited. I think that we’re one of the best teams in the district." Christina Christianson agrees with him, saying "The District [championship] is what’s important now. It’s our time to go out and show the rest of the district just how fast we can be."