At the highly competitive Gettysburg Invitational, the varsity girls placed 16th out of 22 teams, while the boys placed 11th out of 16.  These results may be misleading, however, because they do not accurately portray the team’s success.  In its meets against Madison County, Clarke County, Rappahannock, Strasburg, and Manassas Park, the team has consistently proven itself to be a strong competitor in the Bull Run District.  Last Wednesday (September 17) at Rappahannock, the varsity girls took first place and the varsity boys secured second place against the teams from Madison County, Rappahannock, Manassas Park, and Strasburg.

Seniors Will Stewart and Andrew Walden are in high spirits as they train during cross country practice. (Photo by Rebecca Gomez)

Outside of competition, both the boys and the girls teams have been working hard to improve, with some very tangible results.  Sophomore Louis Henninger has led the boys in each race so far, with fellow sophomore Daniel Benn right behind him. Despite some knee problems, sophomore Carlos Clark has been running well and freshman Miles Butler is having no problem keeping up with the sophomore stand-outs.  Senior Will Stewart has also been very valuable for the team with both his speed and leadership, while junior Andrew Breen, in his first season on the team, has consistently run with the top six. The boys have also benefited from the hard work and competitiveness of team members Jeff Ralph, Teddy Rueckert, Jon McHugh, Kassim Rahawi, Bennett Pribulka, Colin Lauer, Andres Ramos and Sam Parker.

Coach Julie Bravin is particularly impressed with her top runners’ ability to keep their times so close together – the top six usually finish within 20-30 seconds of each other, while the next few runners are often less than a minute behind the leader.

The members of the girls’ team hope to repeat the success of last season, in which they ultimately placed second in the state (Division A).  Coming off a spectacular track season, junior Susanna Sullivan continues to lead the girls, finishing over a minute and a half ahead of the second-place runner at Rappahannock last Wednesday.  The team also features a mix of seasoned veterans and talented newcomers.  Besides Sullivan, seniors Elizabeth Fortenberry and Emma Goetz and sophomore Maggie Fortenberry have all demonstrated strength and speed in their recent races, while freshmen Karen Hamill, Claire Pribulka, and Nicole Peyton have quickly made their presence known on the team.  Junior Karina Robarge, a newcomer to cross country who finished fourth in the state in hurdles during the track season is also looking quite strong.  Junior Lydia Fairfax, freshman Courtney Ready, sophomore Taylor Moot, and senior Elsa Lee have all returned with their talent and experience.

Cross country coach Ms. Julie Bravin puts her charges through rigorous stretching and conditioning exercises that seem to be working. (Photo by Rebecca Gomez)

“Susanna is definitely the best girl on the team,” said Lee, “but we really work together on the team and that’s what really matters. All of the boys are within 40 seconds of each other, which is really good, especially for cross-country.”  She also noted how remarkably close all of the team members are to one another, a sentiment that coach Bravin wholeheartedly agreed with.  “Having a close team is extremely important,” she said.  “Knowing that your teammates support you and want you to do your best is essential for a successful race."

The Mustangs travel to Madison County on Wednesday, September 27.  Before Districts on October 25, the team will compete in two more invitationals (Maymount on September 30 and Albemarle on October 14) and will face their Bull Run District competition again at Clarke County on October 11.