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Competing in the largest-ever cross country meet in southwest Virginia, the Parry McCluer and Rockbridge County high school cross country teams raced well at the 19th annual Knights Crossing Invitational on Saturday at Green Hill Park in Salem.
More than 3,000 runners raced at the meet, with more than 100 high schools and 67 middle schools represented from Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Eighteen RC runners ran personal records (PRs) on the flat 5-kilometer course on the hot day, and six of seven PM harriers had PRs.
The top performance of the local runners came from PM senior Kovyk Chandler in the boys’ Red race, the fastest race of the day. Chandler placed 13th of 454 harriers in 16:08.4, just shy of his PR. PM head coach Chris Poluikis said Chandler “did everything I asked of him. I told him to come through the first 400 meters fast to make sure that he didn’t get trapped with other runners away from the leaders.”
Monticello’s Bazil Mathews won the boys’ race in 15:04.3.
PM’s second runner was Kovyk’s younger brother, freshman Kebryl Chandler, who was battling an illness and finished 60th in 17:28.9. “We probably didn’t see the best of him,” said Poluikis of Kebryl.
The Blues’ third finisher was Logan Wheelock, coming in 108th in 18:05.6, and teammate Josh Cooper overcame a fall a quarter of a mile into the race and finished 165th in 18:46.5. PM’s final two runners were Sam Carpenter (291st, 20:29.1) and Caden Mason (429th, 25:33.2).
The PM boys placed 20th of 56 teams, scoring 601 points, while the RC boys finished 29th with 816 points. Blacksburg won the boys’ race with 76 points, Cardinal Gibbons (169) placed second, and Hanover (197) finished third.
Leading the RC boys was freshman Preston Spangler, placing 27th in 16:43.4. RC’s second runner was Alexander Miller (198th, 19:10.2), and teammate Tyler Ludtke (204th, 19:17.6) followed.
Wildcats after Ludtke were Sammy Eastwood (220th, 19:31.6), Jordan Imler (230th, 19:42), Trenten Cash (241st, 19:49) and Fisher Howald (259th, 19:59.8).
In the girls’ Red race, the Wildcats placed 11th of 44 teams with 351 points. With five runners in the top five, Cardinal Gibbons won the race with a perfect score of 15 points. Loudoun Valley (127) placed second, and Spotswood (149) finished third.
Hannah Rae of Cardinal Gibbons was the individual winner in 17:45.9.
Leading RC was senior Deena Ludtke, placing 22nd of 368 harriers in 19:40.8. In a very competitive field, RC head coach Julie Tisone said, “Deena ran a really strong race.”
RC’s second runner was Dorothy Lewis, placing 22nd in 21:58.7, and teammate Nicole Black followed in 82nd in 22:08.2.
Wildcats following Black were Anna Nye (85th, 22:10.2), Brooke Eichelberger (113th, 22:41.2), Kate Holston (175th, 24:09.8) and Cassandra Silver (246th, 25:59).
PM’s lone runner in the girls’ race was sophomore Kyra Lee, finishing 104th in 22:35.
The Wildcats also had boys and girls in the White races, although the boys’ race was cut short due to a storm.
Reviewing the meet, Tisone was proud of her runners. “We have a fairly young team, with most of them running their first official 5K yesterday at Knights Crossing,” she said. “It was fun to see what they could do and where they landed in the team standings.
“It was a great experience for all,” added Tisone. “It is a busy, fun meet with lots of really good athletes, but the meet directors also bring in the fun side with vendors selling fun running gear and giveaways.”
The Wildcats were scheduled to have a home meet at Natural Bridge State Park last Wednesday, but that meet was canceled due to extreme heat and has not been rescheduled. Next up they’ll race in the Clash with the Titans on Saturday at Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke.
The Blues are scheduled to have a home meet at Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista against Pioneer District teams next Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 4:30 p.m.
Both RC and PM will race in the Alleghany XC Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Jackson River Sports Complex in Covington.
