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In its first 5K of the season, the Rockbridge County High School boys cross country team finished 42nd of 57 teams with 1,138 points on Saturday at the Knights Crossing Invitational in Salem.
Sophomore Sammy Eastwood led the Wildcats, placing 109th in a PR time of 17:30.6, about two minutes faster than his time on the course last year. RC’s second finisher was freshman Grant Swenty, coming in 249th in 18:58.6, and junior teammate Trent Cash finished 282nd in 19:23.6. Wildcats following Cash were sophomores Luke Eichholz (314th, 19:50.3) and Finn Miller (328th, 20:02.7) and freshmen Ben Gresham (364th, 20:49.2) and Hudson Saunders (417th, 22:06.7).
The RC girls placed 32nd of 38 teams with 823 points. Cardinal Gibbons, led by individual winner Hannah Rae Shaffer in 17:50.6, won the girls’ race with 43 points. Blacksburg (97) placed second, and Spotswood (137) finished third. Rounding out the top five were Abingdon (208) and Riverbend (215).
Leading the RC girls was junior Dorothy Lewis, placing 87th in a PR time of 21:20.1. RC’s second runner was senior Brooke Eichelberger, finishing 110th in 21:49.6, while junior teammate Evelyn McClung followed in 227th in 24:49.4. Wildcats following McClung were junior Kate Holston (257th, 25:49.8), sophomore Hannah Ivins (286th, 27:03.7) and junior Alice Gresham (310th, 28:09.1).
In total, nine Wildcats set PRs. Reviewing the day, RC head coach Julie Tisone said the Knights Crossing Invitational “is a really fun, big race to start with.”
Tisone added that the large number of harriers makes runners “be thoughtful of your positioning around turns and when the course narrows. Some of our more seasoned runners definitely put some thought on strategies for positioning themselves in such a big race.”
Today, Wednesday, the Wildcats will face Valley District rivals at East Rockingham High School in Elkton, with the girls’ race at 5 p.m., followed by the boys’ race at 5:30. The Wildcats’ home meet, originally scheduled for today, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m. at RC. This Saturday, the Wildcats will compete in the Augusta Invitational in Augusta County.
Parry McCluer High School will have no meets this week, but the Blues will race in the Alleghany XC Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Jackson River Sports Complex in Covington, while the Wildcats will race in the Adidas XC Challenge in Cary, N.C. that day.
