We lost a true WAHS warrior and a beautiful soul on July 28, 2025. You will be forever in our hearts, Marie Whitten.

Important Upcoming Dates and Team Information

WAHS Girls 3rd in State

Final Banquet Sunday, June 8, 2pm at WAHS. Bring a dish to share. 

WAHS Girls Region Runners-Up

On an unseasonably cool day the WAHS girls Outdoor Track team worked together to place second in the Regional Meet last week. 

Running Events Recap:  The girls 4x800 team of Liv, Abbie, Louise, and Hannah ran a very exciting race at Regionals. Liv ran the first leg, competing against most teams' fasest runners. This caused her to perhaps go out a bit too fast, but she held on and ran a strong time of 2:40. At that point the team was in 6th place. She handed off to Abbie, who had her best 800 race ever, running a PR time of 2:36 and making up two places.  Louise got the batton in 4th place, and she ran her most aggressive 800 of the season in a time of 2:38. She took the team into 3rd place. Finally, Hannah blazed to a 2:33 PR time as our anchor leg, taking the team into 2nd place. This team ran the second fastest time of our 4x800 this season.  In the 100 Dash, Julia Hill ran a PR time of 12.46, coming in second place. This is the fastest time in WAHS school history! Maddie Hill came in 8th in that event (12.87), and CP 14h (13.34). Incidentally,  all 3 of these sprinters are on the WAHS fastest 100m leaderboard: Maddie in 2nd (12.67) and CP 7th (13.16)! The 1600  was no less exciting: Emerson Ritter ran an absolutely fantastic race, finishing 6th with a PR time of 5:08.63.  She ran smart yet determined, held on to her pace very well the 3rd lap, and had enough left to finish strong. This time puts her 10th on the all time WAHS 1600 leaderboard!  Zoey Downer also scored for the team, placing 8th with a PR time of 2:26. Juliet ran a strong race, finishing in 5:56, and Hannah ran a PR time of 6:08. The 4x100 was perhaps the most exciting race of the day! Our WAHS sprinters work so hard, and have got his event DOWN, including the tricky handoffs. CP got things off to a blazing start, followed by Julia taking 2nd leg down the backstretch. She handed off to Jordan who worked the far curve aggressively, and finally, Maddie kept the lead, storming across the line in 1st place with a time of 49.62, a new school record! The Broadbent sisters represented well in the 400. SJ ran a strong time of 63.01, placing 5th, and Finleigh ran 66.81, placing 10th.  Jordan Henderson continues to dominate in the 300H, placing second with a  PR time of 46. 70: this time beats her old time, and needless to say she has the fastest time in WAHS history! In the 800, Emerson ran a 2:29, placing 6th, and Leanne ran 2:34, finishing in 9th. In the 200, Julia came in 2nd with a time of 25.64. This time puts her 4th on the all-time WAHS leaderboard. Maddie came in 8th  (26.97), CP 11th (27.93), and SJ 15th (27.93). In the 3200 Emma Schmitz came in 5th (11.49) and Zoey ran a season best time of 12:20, finishing in 8th. Daisy and Juliet finished in 13th (13:19) and 14th (13:21). Finally, the 4x400 team of both Broadbents, Lilly, and Jordan came in 4th with a time of 4:16.52.

Field Events Recap: WAHS girls were well represented in the Discus. Elisabeth came in 2nd with a throw of 114'8", Charlotte 4th (107'10") and Audrey 16th (29'1"). In the Long Jump, Maddie finished in 3rd (17'1"), CP 16th (15'5.75"), Julia 25th (14'1"), and Ashley 26th (14'0"). Elisabeth came in 12th in the Shot Put (27'8") and Audrey 18th (26'2.25"). Maddie came in 5th in the Triple Jump (25'4.75") and Julia 11th (33'9.5"). Raine won the Pole Vault with a jump of 13'2": A new school and Region record! Evie was 2nd with a great jump of 11'6", and Louise tied for 7th at 8'0". CP came in 6th in th High Jump (4'8"), Lilly 15th (4'4"), and Caroline C in 19th (4'2"). Great job, Warriors!

Meet Recaps: VTCA, Districts, and Ragged Mountain Middle School Meet

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the VTCA Meet as I was on annual family camping trip--I ended up missing so many incredible performances! In the 1600, Zoey came in 6th, running a PR time of 5:32. Leanne was right behind her in 7th, with a big PR time of 5:33. Daisy also ran a PR time of 5:59, breaking 6 for the first time! And Anja LaF ran 6:57, proving that going under 7 is now the norm for her! In the 400, all 3 WAHS girls ran PR times! Finleigh came in 5th (65.51), Hannah 6th (66.06), and Lily Z 11th (69.57). In th 300 Hurdles, Jordan won with a time of 47.31! The 800 saw some good performances as well: Emerson came in 2nd, right on her season best time of 2:23. Leanne ran a strong time of 2:29, and Abbie finished in 2:48. In the 200: Maddie came in 5th in 26.82, Jordan 7th, 27.30, Lilly ran 28.22, and SJ ran a PR time of 28.74.  In the 3200, Emma came in second, running a PR time of 11:44. Zoey, doubling in the 1600 and 3200, managed to run a respectable 12:46, finishing in 3rd place. Lauren had a huge PR time of 13:51--breaking 14 for the first time with a 13 second improvement! Our 4x400 team of Maddie, Julia, SJ and Lilly was 2nd with a time of 4:12.32. On the field side of the meet: CP came in 4th in the High Jump (4'8") and Caroline C  jumped 4'4". Raina won the Pole Vault (13'), Evie was 3rd (11') and Louise was 7th (8'). In Shot Put Maddie B was 7th with a throw of 30'10". Elisabeth threw 28'10" and Audrey 27'4". In the Long Jump,  Evie came in 4th (15' 11.75"), CP jumped 14'8.5", and Ashely jumped 14'5". In the Triple Jump, Hannah had a PR jump of 28'9". Finally, in Discus, Elisabeth was 1st with a throw of 118'1" and Audrey threw 70'10". Great job at VTCA! 

WAHS Hosts Jefferson District Meet

WAHS Girls performed very well at the Jefferson District Meet held on their home track. The meet was moved to Monday, so some had very little rest between VTCA and Districts, but that didn't slow them down too much! 

In the 100, Lilly ran 14.05, Angie 14.15, and Antonia 14.36. In the 400, Julia came in 3rd with a time of 59.9, SJ ran 63.3, and Finleigh 65.33. All 3 have qualified for Regionals next week. Jordan won the 300 Hurdles again with a time of 47.46! In the 200, SJ ran 28.91, Antonia 29.87. and Ava 31.15. The 4x400 team of Maddie, SJ, Jordan and Lilly was 2nd in 4:16.66. In the High Jump, Lilly was 5th (4'6"). Caroline C jumped 4'2", and Cate P 4'2". In the Shot Put, Elisabeth was 5th (29'1"), Maddie B 6th (28'9"), and Audrey threw 26'3". In Long Jump, CP was 4th (15'5.5"), Julia 6th (15'2.5"), and Ashely R. jumped 14'9.5". In the Triple Jump, Maddie was 1st (36'11.5") and Julia was 4th (33'5"). In Discus, Audrey placed 6th (88'4"), Elisabeth threw 75'8", and Maddie B threw 72'5". 

Ragged Mountain Middle School Meet

DOGWOOD TRACK CLASSIC LIVES UP TO THE HYPE DESPITE WEATHER CANCELLATION AT THE END

WAHS Track girls represented themselves very well at the Dogwood Meet this past weekend. This meet is a big deal, with very difficult entry standards and stiff competition across the board. It is also a meet that is hosted by the 4 local public high schools (WAHS, AHS, MHS, and CHS), and relies 100% on volunteer support from families and athletes to be successful. A HUGE thank you to everyone that volunteered at Dogwood! I witnessed parents, siblings, friends, and even grandparents giving hours of their time to often hectic jobs--thank you so much! And if you see them, give a huge shout out to Alec Lorenzoni, Charlie Hurt, and Cass Girvin, the meet directors. These guys continue to put together a stellar, well-organized, and highly competitive meet.  They also strive to let teams bring some additional distance runners that might not quite meet the qualifying standards by offering the many unseeded 3200 heats on Friday.  Even though the last 3 events couldn't be run yesterday due to lightening in the area causing safety concerns, the meet is still one of, if not THE, best meets in the state of Virginia.  A huge part of that success stems from the combined knowledge, energy, and attention to detail of the meet directors. Finally, a big shout out to Ragged Mountain Running Shop for everything that they do to support this meet.  Organizing and supplying all of the merchandise and awards is just a small part of what the Shop, and the Lorenzoni family as a whole, do to help this meet and the local high school running programs.  So, to all of the families, runners, friends, an coaches that gave their time and energy to this meet: we are deeply appreciative. 

There were other great performance at Dogwood, and unfortunately I couldn' get pictures of everybody as I was stuck in T-Shirt sales and / or Awards much of the time. Daisy (13:22)  and Louise (13:34) both ran in the 3200 on Friday night. Jordan Henderson ran a great 300H race, finishing in 23rd out of  59 with a time of 48.71! CP ran the 100, finishing with a time of 13.15. She also competed in the high jump, finishing in 24th with a jump of 4-8. Elisabeth (115-09) finished 9th out of 43 throwers in the Discus.  Great job, Warriors!

JV runners battle high wind to win Harrisonburg JV Meet

A wonderful group of young WAHS runners traveled to Harrisonburg on Thursday for the Harrisonburg JV Invitational. When they arrived, they were faced with heat (which was no surprise). However, the steady, strong wind and the fairly unpleasant smell that wind brought were unexpected. The girls jumped right into the competition and posted strong performances across the board. They won the meet with 167 points, 79 points ahead of the 2nd place team. The future of WAHS Track look bright!

4 Meet Recap: Albemarle Middle School, WAHS Home, Rufus Knight, and Cave Springs Meets

WAHS Track girls have been busy the last week! Last Saturday, April 19th, we had our 8th graders compete at the Albemarle County Middle School Invitational at WAHS. Simultaneously, our varsity squad traveled to Lynchburg to compete in the Rufus Knight Invitational.  On Wednesday, we hosted our first home meet and also celebrated our amazing seniors. Finally, on Saturday some WAHS girls traveled down to the Cave Springs Invitational.  It has been a whirlwind of meets--2 a week since Spring Break! Below is a summary of how our girls did.  I'm sorry that the pictures lean heavily towards the distance girls: these are the events I'm involved with most and usually there to take pictures. I'd love more pictures of Sprinters/ Jumpers, though! Please feel free to text me any and all photos and I'll get them added to the website. (434) 466-1469. 

WAHS Track girls have been busy the last week! Last Saturday, April 19th, we had our 8th graders compete at the Albemarle County Middle School Invitational at WAHS. Simultaneously, our varsity squad traveled to Lynchburg to compete in the Rufus Knight Invitational.  On Wednesday, we hosted our first home meet and also celebrated our amazing seniors. Finally, on Saturday some WAHS girls traveled down to the Cave Springs Invitational.  It has been a whirlwind of meets--2 a week since Spring Break! Below is a summary of how our girls did.  I'm sorry that the pictures lean heavily towards the distance girls: these are the events I'm involved with most and usually there to take pictures. I'd love more pictures of Sprinters/ Jumpers, though! Please feel free to text me any and all photos and I'll get them added to the website. (434) 466-1469. 

Albemarle County Middle School Invitational

On the sprinting / jumping side, Windsor Torrence, Natalie Wildermuth, and Lia Zawacki had excellent performances! Windsor took 1st in both the 100 (13.47) and 200 (27.99) and Natalie was 3rd in the 100 (13.86) and 2nd in the 200 (29.22). Lia took first in both the Shot Put (32-03.5) and the Discus (100-02). Way to represent, girls!

WAHS Wins Rufus Knight Invitational with no 4x800, 4x100, 3200, or 4x400 entries!

The WAHS varsity squad won the Rufus Knight Invitational despite not entering athletes in several key events. In the 100, Julia and Maddie both scored, placing 5th and 7th, followed by Angie, Cate, Ashley and Ava.  Daisy (4th), Hannah (5th, PR time of 6:10), Abbie (7th) and Hadley (8th) scored in the 1600, followed by Louise (9th) , and Lauren (11th).  In the 400, SJ (64.85, 4th), Leanne (5th, PR time of 65.06), Finleigh (7th, PR time of 66.49) and Zoey (PR time of 67.34) scored for the team, followed by Hannah (11th, PR time of 67.85), Lily (69.75), Abbie (76.25).  In he 300 Hurdles Jordan was 8th (55..03).  The 800 girls racked up a lot of points with Leanne coming in 2nd (2:36), Liv (3rd, PR time of 2:40), Daisy 5th (2:47), Lily Z 6th (2:50), and Lauren 8th (3:00). Paige L finished right with Lauren in 9th, also at 3:00. Allison M was 10th (3:05), Finleigh 12th (3:09), and Miriam 14th (3:11). Elisabeth won the Discus (102') and was 10th in the Shot Put. Maddie scored in the long jump (5th, 16'6.5"), followed by Julia (14'10.5"),  Raina (14'10"), and Ashley (14' 4.5").  Maddie and Julia both placed in the Triple Jump. Maddie was 2nd (25'5") and Julia was 8th (32'5").  All 3 Pole Vaulters score with Raina taking 1st (12'0"), Evie 2nd (11'6") and Louise 6th (7'6").  Finally, in the High Jump, both Cate (5th, 4'6") and Caroline C (4'4") scored, followed by Ava (4'). Great job, Warriors!

WAHS HOME MEET + SENIOR NIGHT

We were able to honor our marvelous WAHS senior at home this year during our first home meet in quite a while! We value the committment and contributions these Warriors have given to our team over the past years, and look forward to seeing the wonderful things they accomplish after high school

Western handily won their home meet, having the opportunity to show off a little on their home turf.  There were PR performances in many events, and the weather couldn't have been better. 

 Monticello Meet Recap (see a few photos below)

On Wednesday we competed at Monticello High school in windy but cool conditions.  Here is a summary of some of the highlights:

4x800:. The team of Paige M, Ruby, Lily Z, and Abbie came in second with a time of 11:20. Good job!

In the 100, Mimi came in 5th with a time of 14.32, Cate 6th (14.34), Angie 8th (14.47),  Anisten 12th (15.10),  Antonia 13th (15.26), and Cordelia 23rd (17.04). Great job, speedy Warriors!

1600 : Zoey came in 2nd with a time of 5:41. Juliet ran a strong early season time of 5:57, coming in 4th, and Daisy was right behind in 5th (6:04).  Finleigh ran her first ever 1600 and exceeded expectations, running a very strong 6:33. Paige Lane continues to drop time, running a 5 second PR of 6:45.  Senior Anja LaFleur had a fantastic race, breaking that 7 min. barrier with a great time of 6:50 (a 14 second PR!). Way to go, distance girls!

The 4x100 team of Angie, Ashley, Ava, and Antonia  ran a time of 57.12, coming in 4th.  Good work!

WAHS Sprinters swept the 400! 1st: Julia (61.80), 2nd: Jordan (64.23), 3rd: Lilly (65.09), and 4th: Maddie  (65.42). SJ ran a strong 67.42, and Liv finished in a solid 71.11.  Nicely done!

In the Open 800 Leanne ran a PR time of 2:30.65, placing 6th. Both Hannah S and Louise also ran PR times in this event:  2:37.05 and 2:38.09. Anja Le was right behind them in 2:44.36, and Paige Morris ran her 2nd 800 of the night, and managed to run it a bit faster ON HER BIRTHDAY, finishing in 2:53. 

SJ was the top finisher in the 200 in 29.54, finishing in 4th place. Other runners in this event were Antonia (31.49), Ava Jackson (31.77), Ellie (32.32), and Caroline Collins (32.56).

WAHS girls took 3 of the top 5 places in the 3200. Emma Schmitz had a fantastic race, finishing in first place with a RQ  and PR time of 11:49.67! This is only 7 seconds off of the State Qualifying time. She was followed by Claire in 3rd place with an incredible RQ time of 12:25.  and Hadley ran a strong District Qualifying time of 13:19, finishing in 5th.  Lauren Luna ran a solid 5 second PR of 14:05, and is ready to dip under 14.  

The 4x400 team of Abbie, Anja Le, Hannah S, and Leanne came in 3rd place with a time of 4:43. Two of these girls filled in on short notice so we could have an entry for this event--way to step up!

Field events:

In the High Jump Cate P came in 4th with a Jump of 4-4, and Emmy 5th, also in 4-4.   Julia finished  6th in 4-2, Caroline C 8th at the same height. Hannah S continues, still very new at this event, jumped 4-0. 

Raina won the Pole Vault, jumping 11'6".  Louise was 4th in 7'6". Allison N jumped 6'0", and Allison S. 5'0". Good job!

In the Shot Put Maddie Burnette came in 4th with a throw of 29'4", and Audrey Miracle was 5th in 26'9". Charlotte and Elisabeth both threw 25'5". 

Raina was 4th in the  Long Jump in 15'2",  followed by Lilly (14' 8.5"), Ashley (13'11.5"), Hannah (13'5.5"), and Zoey (12'6.75"). Good job, jumpers!

Ashley came in 2nd in the  Triple Jump (27'1").

Charlotte came in 2nd in the  Discus with a throw of 92'0". Audrey was 5th (79'4"), and  Maddie B 7th threw  (72'5")

Girls Place 2nd at Gus Lacy Track Classic without a 4x400

Girls Win Louisa Mini-Invitational 

This past Wednesday we kicked of the Outdoor Track Season at Louisa High School. We were able to enter a lot of athletes in this meet, so many girls got to participate. Here is a quick recap of some of the highlights:

4x800: We were able to enter 2 4x800 teams. The team of Finleigh, SJ, Peyton, and Abbie came in third with a time of 11:30, while the team of Liv, Lily Z, Sophia C, and Anja Le ran a time of 11:44, which would have placed them 5th (but only 1 team counts in scoring). Well done, ladies! 

In the 100, Julia Hill was the champion with a State Qualifying (SQ) time of 12.84. Maddie Hill finished in 3rd (Regional Qualifying time of 13.12) and CP in 4th (District Qualifying time: 13.44).  Lilly J was 9th (14.00) and Ashley 13th (14.92). Great job, speedy Warriors!

Emma Schmitz, in her first track race in 2 years, was the 1600  champion with a RQ time of 5:27.   Zoey Downer finished 3rd in 5:38 (RQ), and Daisy McCown 5th with an outdoor PR of 6:10. Hannah Sedeiman debuted at this distance, running a strong time of 6:13, finishing in 7th.  Hadley Cabell ran a PR time of 6:15, and Lauren Luna ran an outdoor PR time of 6:37.  Ruby Olin and Anja La Fleur ran big PR times of 6:39 and 7:04 respectively. 

The 4x100 team of CP, Jordan, Maddie and Julia ran a blazing SQ time of 50.54 securing the victory in that event. The scond 4x100 team of Rowland, Angie Newsome, Antonio Ferrer and Ellie Winn ran a solid time of 57.47.

Amelia Hodson was our top finisher in the 400, running 1:09.57 and finishing in 8th. She was followed by Paige Morris in 1:11.79,  Lily Zovko (1:13.88), Angie Newsome (1:16.36), Ellie Winn (1:18.28), and Antonio Ferrer (1:20.31). 

Jordan Henderson was the 300 Hurdles champion, running a RQ time of 48.56!

Emma Schmitz also won the Open 800, finishing with a RQ time of 2:34. Louise Foster came in 4th in 2:45,  Abbie Apicella tth in 2:49, Anja Lehmensiek in 8th (2:50), Olivia Blakey 10th (2:52), Sarah Jane Broadbent (11th, 2:53), Paige Morris (13th, 2:57) and Finleigh (14th, 2:57).

Mimi Hodson was also the top WAHS finisher in the 200 in 31.15. Other runners in this event were Ashley (31.53), Ava Jackson (31.58), Antonia (31.8), Caroline Collins (32.83), and Ellie (33.43).

WAHS girls swept the top 3 places in the 3200! Leanne Hodgson had a fantastic race, finishing in first place with a RQ  and PR time of 12:35! She was followed by Zoey in 2nd place (after already having run the 1600), with a RQ time of 12:49.  Claire Contiliano, in her first track race in two years, ran a solid RQ time of 13:02, finishing in 3rd place, and Juliet ran a strong District Qualifying time of 13:19, finishing in 5th. 

The 4x400 team of Lilly, Jordan, Maddie and Julia came in second place with a strong SQ time of 4:12.22! The B team of SJ, Emma, Anja Le, and Abbie ran 4:43, and would have finished 4th. 

Field events:

In the High Jump CP came in 2nd with a SQ Jump of 4-10.  Lilly came in 4th with a District Qualifying jump of 4-8, and Ava Jackson came in 7th with a jump of 4-4.  Hannah S and Caroline C both jumped 4-0. 

WAHS girls swept the first 3 spots in the Pole Vault! Raina came in 1st, jumping 12'6" (SQ). Evie was 2nd with a SQ jump of 11",  and Louise had a 12 inch PR jump of 8'6", qualifying her for Districts.

In the Shot Put Maddie Burnette came in 6th with a throw of 31'9", and Elisabeth was 13th with a throw of 24'10". 

Maddie Hill won the Long Jump in 17'0" (SQ), followed by Raina (3rd, 15'7 1/2"), Julia (4th, 15'5"), CP (6th, 15'1") , Lilly (10th, 14'0"), Ashley (11th, 13'6"), Zoey (13th, 12'8.5"), and Evie (16th, 11'1"). 

Maddie Hill also won the Triple Jump with a RQ jump of 33'7". Julia came in 4th with 31'11"

Finally, Elisabeth Shin won the Discus with a SQ throw of 114'6". Maddie B threw 67'5".

RQ time o

A core crew of our amazing sprinters is competing down at Addidas Nationals in Virginia Beach this weekend. After all of the racing excitement is over on Sunday I'll add a recap here.

Meanwhile, a handful of distance girls ran the 50th anniversary edition of the Charlottesville 10 Miler Saturday in near perfect conditions.  Lily Smith ran a speedy 7:37 pace, finishing 3rd in the 18 and under age group! SJ came in 11th in that age group with an overall 8:31 pace, a huge improvement over last year's 9:05 pace.  Abbie Apicella ran a stellar debut 10 miler, finishing 14th in her age group. Her race was perfectly paced: She went from 8:49 pace at the 5 mile mark, down to 8:44 pace at the 6.9 mat, and finished with an overall pace of 8:36! Lauren Luna ran under 9 min pace, finishing at 8:54 pace, an 11 second per mile improvement over last year.  Anja La Fleur and Paige Lane worked together the whole time, finishing their first 10 miler at a strong 9:26 pace.  And I ran my first successful distance race after a string of injuries--it was wonderful to be back out there again! 

STATE MEET RECAP

THE RELAYS STEAL THE SHOW!

In addition to the relays, there were many other incredible performances at the State Meet. Caroline high jumped 5-00 for 4th place and Raina vaulted 12-00 to win the pole vault. Evie vaulted 10-06, earning 4th place.  Maddie Hill was 10th in the long jump and 5th in the triple jump (35-06.75).  Camille was 2nd in the 500, running a PR time of 1:18.88 (placing her in the elite division at Nationals).  In a super-tough triple, Emerson came in 7th in the 1600 (5:10.44) and 8th in the 1000 (3:08.51). 

The team as a whole finished 3rd. Way to go, Warriors! Now, on to Nationals for some and Outdoor Track!

Last weekend WAHS Warriors participated in 3 different meets. Here is a brief recap of the highlights of those meets, as well as the Bulldog Invitational yesterday.

WAHS GIRLS WIN FRED HARDY INVITATIONAL

Last weekend the WAHS girls won the Fred Hardy Invitational at FUMA. The meet opened up with a first place finish by the 4x800 team of Abbie, Anja, Juliet, and Zoey, running another region qualifying time. In the 55 Chloe ran a 7.31 and Lilly  8.31.   Zoey followed up her great leg on the 4x8 with a 3rd place finish in the 1600 with a time of 5:39. The 4x200 team had a great race, finishing in 2nd place with a time of 1:51.56. In the 500 Anja came in 10th in 1:35.03. In the 1000 Abbie ran a 3:37 after getting very boxed in at the start, coming in 13th. In the 300 Emmy came in 8th with a time of 45.89 and Chloe 13th in 47.09. In  the 3200 Juliet came in 11th at 13:41.  Caroline P came in 7th in the high jump with a jump of 4-10, while Lilly J jumped 4-04. WAHS girls swept the top two spots in the pole vault with Raina jumping 12-07 and Evie jumping 11-06.  Maddie came in 5th in the long jump with a jump of 15-6.5 and Julia H jumped 14-01. Maddie followed that up with a late night 2nd place finish in the triple jump with a jump of 34-02.25 and Julia finished 6th with 31-09. Elisabeth came in 7th in the shot put with a throw of 30-07.  Great job, Warriors!

YOUNGER RUNNERS SHINE AT HERITAGE MEET

Not to be outdone, our 9-10th graders competed in fine form at the Heritage JV Invitational, coming in 2nd place as a team. In the 55 Angela N came in 8th in 8.31 and Antonia 20th in 8.86 and in the 300 Ellie W. ran 55.37. The Broadbent sisters dominated the 500, with SJ coming in 2nd (1:27) and Finleigh 5th (1:35). Anisten finished 8th in that event in 1:42. In the 1000 Hannah S ran a huge 14 second PR time of 3:35.67, finishing in 2nd place. Ruby O finished her first 1000 in 3:57, finishing in 4th place, and Sophia Cook was close behind her in 4:01. Cameron won the 1600 with a PR time of 6:13.  Louise ran 6:39 in that event, and Paige Lane ran a 12 second PR time of 6:52, breaking 7 for the first time! In the 3200 all three WAHS girls ran PRs! Hadley ran a 1 second PR time of 13:37,  Daisy a 7 second PR time of 13:48, and Lauren a 5 second PR time of 14:21. These PR are especially impressive considering that the 3200 is 24 laps at Heritage! Our 4x200 team of Angela, Antonia, Emmy D and Hadley B finished in 2nd with a time of 2:09.18, and our 4x400 team of Anisten, Lily Z, SJ, and Finleigh finished 1st in 4:59.00.  Louise Foster won the pole vault in 7-06, and Finley B jumped 11-07 in the long jump. Excellent work!

EMERSON RUNS A PR IN THE OPEN 800

Last weekend Emerson ran a great overall PR time in the open 800 of 2:21.92. She is a full-time swimmer in the winter, but still manages to join us for workouts and long run, and squeezes in key track races between swim meets! 

Bulldog Invitational: Girls Finish 3rd overall. 

The 4x200 Team Runs Fastest Class 3 School Time of the Season and the Fastest Time in WAHS History! 

Other highlights from a truly great meet yesterday: In the 1600 Emerson Ritter ran an excellnt PR of 5:09.84. This puts her 7th on the all-time fastest WAHS indoor 1600 meter times! Em ran a smart, gutsy race, fighting the entire time and giving it her all.  Also in the 1600, Juliet Kielbasa ran a big PR time of 5:54.75, dipping under 6 for the first time! In the 55, Chloe ran 8.23 and Lilly J 8.29.

Another record was set in the 500: Camille Love tied for 4th place overall, running an incredible time of 1:18.89. This puts her 3rd on the WAHS all-time fastest list! In that same event SJ ran a 1:31.30 and Abbie a 1:32.46. 

In the 1000 Emerson was back at it! She ran another great PR of 3:07.51. This is even more impressive considering she had to do this all alone in the 2nd heat with no direct competition!  Leanne ran a great time of 3:24.42. This is a small PR, but a PR nonetheless. Leanne had been pretty sick the week leading up to this meet, so she should be proud of this race. Hadley ran her first 1000 ever in a solid time of 3:44.03, but declared that she preferred the 2 mile! 

In the 300 Emmy ran a strong time of 44.19 and Jordan 44.40. The 4x400 team came in 5th, running a stellar time of 4:11.34. The team was made up of Jordan, Camille, Julia, and Lilly, and their time puts them 8th on the fastest WAHS 4x400 Indoor leaderboard!

Big PRs were set in the 3200 as well. Daisy ran a 22 second PR, finishing in 13:26, and Lauren ran a 12 second PR, finishing in 14:09. These two girls have been so consistent and dedicted in their training, and it is paying off as they keep dropping time in their events. 

On the field, Julia came in 9th in the unseeded long jump with 14-09 and Chloe 22nd in 14-02.  In the seeded long jump, Maddie took 4th overall with a jump of 17-01.25. Evie took second in the pole vault with a jump of 11-00, and Louise jumped 7-00. In the high jump Caroline P tied for 4th with a jump of 4-10, and Lilly jumped 4-06. In the shot put Elisabeth threw 28-08.5. In the tripple jump Maddie came in 8th with a jump of 33-09.5.  

What a great whole team effort--3rd out of 38 schools is a great accomplishment and one you should all be proud of.!

WE HAVE A LOT TO CATCH UP ON!

From FUMA Mini-Meet #2 highlights, Holiday Happenings, an entire missed week of school, and the Walt Cormack Invitational Wrap-up: Buckle up for a summary of the past month's Indoor Track activities...

Way back in December: FUMA Mini-Meet #2 

On December 18th more WAHS girls got the opportunity to compete at the FUMA Mini-Meet #2. We tried to get as many girls in as we could, and saw some very promising outcomes. It was great to be able to get this meet in a few days before the long winter break (that ended up being an extra week longer due to snow!). Above you see some of our distance girls celebrating their first time running in the 4x800.

In the 55 Dash Angela N. finished with a time of 8.4, Finley B in 8.5, and Addie M. in 8.85. Jordan H. had a great race in the 300, finishing in 2nd with a RQ time of 44.37. Antonia finished 16th in that same event with a time of 51.43, and Ellie finished with a time of 56.77.  The 4x200 ran a speedy time of 2:03, and the 4x400 captured 3rd with a time of 4:55. Lily J. finished 7th in the HJ with a jump of 4-06 and Caroline P. finished 11th with jump of 4-02. In the LJ Chole was 15th at 12-0 and Addie was 16th with 11-08. Rain won the PV with a jump of 12-06 and Louise finished 3rd with a jump of 7-06. In the SP Maddie B. threw 30-00, finishing 5th and Elisabeth was right behind her in 6th with a throw of 29-09.5. In the distance events Leanne Hodgson ran a great debut 1000 race, finishing in 4th with a RQ time of 3.24.48. Hannah S. also ran her first 1000, finishing in 9th with a time of 3:49, and Lark finished her first 1000 in 11th in 3:51. Zoey Downer ran  a PR in the 1600, finishing in 3rd with an excellent RQ time of 5:35.  Lauren and Ruby O. also PRed in the 1600 with times of 6:35 and 6:45 respectively. In the 3200, Louise came in 2nd with a solid Indoor PR time of 14:14. Sarina took 4th in that event in 14:58, and Hanna K was 5th with a big PR time of 15:13. Great job, everyone!

Holiday Scavenger Hunt around UVA

At the beginning of Winter Break a large group of Distance Girls dressed up in crazy attire and followed clues that led them all around UVA Grounds, part of the way up and over O-Hill (Finleigh loved that part!), and into several stores and restuarants. At several places the girls had to "perform" to receive the next clue. First, at Foods of All Nations, the manager required that they dance to get the next clue. Later on, at Oakhurst Inn Cafe, they had to sing an entire song while turning in circles, and finally in Ragged Mountain Running Shop, where the Hunt ended, Mark Lorenzoni had them serenade the customers to be able to receive their prize: fresh-baked cookies. We followed up with breakfast at Bodo's next door. It was a fantastic way to ring in the Holiday Season, and get a few miles in as well. See below for some images from the day.

Winter Break + Snow

Walt Cormack Invitational

At the end of our first week back in School we finally got to compete at VMI's wonderful indoor facility for the Walt Cormack Invitational on January 18th. Unfortunatley, we weren't able to go to the Woodberry meet the week before, so lost the opportunity to run a lot more of the girls on the team. Nonetheless, this weekend's meet was very successful considering the lack of consistency some girls were facing due to winter break and snow.  Unfortunately, I did not get many pictures from this event as I was up in the rafters...

The meet started off with the 3200 meter run at 8am sharp. Cameron ran this event for the first time, coming in 18th with a speedy time of 13:21. Every race is a part of the learning process, and Cam learned a lot from this race--she let a gap open up between herself and the top group in the first mile, and spent the majority of the second mile trying to reel them in, almost succeeding.  After the race, Cameron thanked me for putting her in this gruelling event (imagine that!) and we talked about race strategy in the one event where you really have a long time to think.  Lauren ran a  hug PR in this event, going from 15:25 to 14:26! 

On the field: In the HJ, Caroline came in 5th with a State Qualifying jump of 4-10. WAHS girls dominated the PV, with Raina taking first in 12-0 and Evie 2nd in 11-0, both SQ heights. Maddie came in 10th in the LJ with an RQ jump of 15-11.5. Julia was 23rd in this event, jumping 14-6, and Chloe finished in 24th with a jump of 14-5.5. In the TJ, Maddie finished 8th with a RQ jump of 33-7.25 and Julia finished 16th with a DQ jump of 30-3. In the SP Elisabeth PRed with a RQ throw of 30-0.25, finishing in 9th. 

Back on the Track: The 4x800 team of Leanne, SJ, Finleigh, and Zoey ran a Regional Qualifying time of 11:21, and both Leanne (2:32) and Zoey (2:29) ran PRs in that event. Julia came in 15th in the 55D with a time of 7.76. Maddie finished in 7.94 and Emmy in 8.13 in that same event. Perhaps the best event of the entire day was the 4x200. They ran an excellent race with solid handoffs and maximum effort across the board. The team of Julia, Maddie, Emmy and CP qualified for the State Meet in this event, showing off their hard work and dedication. Leanne ran her 2nd of 3 distance events in the 1600, coming in 16th with a time of 5:44. Lauren, after already PRing in the 3200 earlier, ran just 2 seconds off of her 1600 PR with a time of 6:37. More important than her time was the fact that she reacted and changed gears throughout the race, something that we talked about ahead of time. Daisy McCown had an excellent 1600 race, finishing with an Indoor PR time of 16:17. She was aggressive from the gun, going after it the whole time (perhaps a bit too hard the first lap).  Both Daisy and Lauren were incredibly consistent over winter break, both of them coming to nearly every practice throughout the entire two weeks. In the 500, Camille came in 4th overall with another SQ time of 121.18.  Abbie, who had a stellar day on the track, ran a PR time of 1:32.29, and SJ was just a fraction of a second behind her in 1:32.46.  Leanne ran her 3rd distance race of the day in the 1000. Even on dead legs she ran a great RQ time of 3:25, just one second off of her PR time. Leanne was our true "distance workhorse" yesterday, and her 3 good races will serve her well by building both her strength and experience for the end-of-season meets to come. Abbie, with not a lot of break between events, ran another PR in the 1000, running a time of 3:33.57. Zoey ran the most exciting 1000 of the day as, despite my best efforts, she was placed in the slowest heat. She managed to run a blazing 3:16, despite the fact that she was completely alone and ended up lapping the entire field. Zoey has an incredible attitude: she loves to race, and every time she finishes she says "Coach Katie, that was so much FUN!".  In the 300, Emmy ran a great time of 46.33, with CP (46.62) and Chloe (47.96) just behind her. Finally, the 4x400 team of Maddie, Camille, SJ, and Finleigh rounded out the meet, finishing in 12th with a solid time of 4:35.74.  

Looking Ahead: Consistency and 2 Meets on the 25th

At the end of the meet yesterday, the coaches were chatting about the upcoming weeks of practice and competition. We agreed that the day had been good overall, especially considering the disruptions in our training. We also agreed that the most important element in the upcoming weeks will be consistency in all things. We need to be consistent in our training--making sure we are doing all of the parts of training with the maximum effort. This includes arriving to practice on-time, immediately going into the warm-up lap(s) without being told, putting forth 100% effort into drills, staying focused and dedicated in the weight room, and keeping up with stretching and rolling.  These are the things that often get overlooked or downplayed, but are crucial to success.  

We have two meets coming up on the 25th. There is a Middle School / JV meet (8th-10th grades only--3 entries per event) at Heritage and the Fred Hardy Invitational at FUMA (varsity, with qualifying standards--2 entries per event). We are working on the entries now, and need to know if you will not be available this upcoming weekend. 

Indoor Track Off to a Great Start

WAHS girls participated in two meets this past week, and are off to a great start! At FUMA there were several State meet qualifying efforts. Camille Love finished 1st in the 500 with a SQ time of 1:21.81. Caroline Pearson won the High Jump with a fantastic SQ jump of 5-02, and Raina Fitzwater handily won the Pole Vault with a jump of 12-06.  

We also had several girls qualify for the Region meet. Julia Hill ran a strong 300, finishing in 2nd place wiht a RQ time of 45.29. In the 3200, both Zoey Downer (3rd place, 12:27) and Leanne Hodgson (4th place, 12:47) qualified for Regionals. The 4 x 200 and 4 x 800 relay teams also qualified for Regionals, both teams finishing in 2nd place.  In the jumps, Lilly Jamison high jumped 4-08, finishing 6th and qualifying for Regionals.  Maddie Hill jumped a RQ distance of 15-03, finishing in 2nd place in that event. Louise Foster pole vaulted 7-06, finishing in 3rd place. 

Other notable efforts of the night: 8th grader Maddie Fritts ran a fantastic middle school 1600. Her PR time of 5:40 would have placed her 3rd overall in the high school event. Maddie Hill (5th) and Caroline Pearson (6th) ran great in the 55, as did the four 8th graders that competed: Windsor Torrence (7.94), Natalie Wildermuth (8.24), Chloe Gates (8.25) and Sienna Strike (9.08). Lilly Jamison finished 6th in the 300. In the 500, Olivia Blakey (133.39)  finished 5th overall and Mimi Hodgson ran a strong time of 1:35.60, finishing 9th.  In the 1000 SJ Broadbent and Anja Lehmensiek finished in 5th and 6th places with identical times of 3:41.47. Finleigh Broadbent ran a PR time of 3:55.23 in the same event.  In the 1600 Juliet Kielbasa finished 4th with a time of 6:14, Cameron Huynh finished in 6th with a PR time of 6:17, and Daisy McCown finished in 13th with a time of 6:35.  In her first 3200 ever  Hadley Cabell finished in 6th place with a time of 13:38. In the 55H Jordan Henderson finished in 2nd with a time of  9.81, and in the high jump Ava Jackson jumped 4-00. Julia Hill came in 12th in the long jump (13-06) and 6th in the triple jump (29-11), while Maddie finished in 5th with a jump of 31-00 in that event. Elizabeth Shin threw 30-00 to finish 3rd in the shot put.

On Saturday Emerson Ritter, Raina Fitzwater, and Evie Woodrow participated in the Liberty Christmas Meet in Lynchburg. Emerson ran state qualifying times in both the 1600 and 1000. In the 1600 she ran 5:17.15 and finished 4th out of 130 racers. This time places her in the top 10 all time WAHS girls Indoor 1600 meter times! A few hours later she ran 3:10 in the 1000, tying her PR and placing 6th out of 112 racers.  In the pole vault, Raina placed 2nd with a jump of 12-00 and Evie placed 4th with a jump of 11-00. Great job, Warriors!

WAHS Track Gear Available

The GEAR IS HERE! Team Store is OPEN and will remain open until the 23rd of December. Here is the link. All purchases will be delivered to your house once the team store closes.  I do suggest you get one of the blue hoodies if you don't have one already.  Use this link to access the store:

https://bit.ly/4fexDHV 

We have a few of the royal blue track hoodies left over from last year (30$).  We have three XL hoodies left. If you would like to claim one of these, text me (Coach Katie) @ (434) 466-1469 and I will give you payment information.

First Meet this Wednesday!

Our racing season starts off this Wednesday with the Fork Union Mini-Meet #1. Field events start at 4pm followed by running events at 4:30. Information for entries and release times is on the Weekly Schedule page. We also have a few people competeing in Lynchburg this Saturday, and many more next Wednesday back at FUMA for the Mini-Meet #2. Stay tuned for more information!

Indoor Track Off and Running... 

...and Jumping, Vaulting, and Throwing! 

We are now 2 weeks into Indoor Track Season, and it is already shaping up to be a good one! The girls have been practicing hard and getting to know one another.  Our meets start potentially on December 5th with a Polar Bear (outside) meet at Louisa County High School (weather permitting).  The following week we have our first meet indoors, the Fork Union Mini-Meet #1.  We will be able to put 3 girls in per event in that meet.  All told, we have 2-3 meets before Winter Break, and these are a good opportunity to get an early season qualifying time under your belt. 

After the Dec 18th FUMA Mini-Meet #2, the distance girls will start a 3 1/3 week period of distance base-building. Most of our runs will be distance runs, tempo runs, or longer pace intervals.  We will meet regularly over Winter Break, and do some fun events as well. On Saturday Dec 14th we will have our annual Crozet Tunel Run in holiday garb. The following Saturday, Dec 21, we will have a Jingle Bell UVA "Hare and Hounds" Run, again in holiday garb. Prizes for the wackiest-tackiest holiday outfits! I will have bells for everyone. We will have breakfast at the Bodo's on the corner after the run.  Sprinters: you are more than welcome to join us on any of these runs--the more the merrier! 

This past Saturday the distance girls did a workout at Riverview Park in Charlottesville and then celebrated Friendsgiving with a White Elephant Gift Exchange. See below for some fun pictures of the event. 

WAHS GIRLS XC 4TH IN THE STATE!

The WAHS girls got it done down in Blacksburg at the State Meet this Saturday, coming in a strong 4th place! The team was led by junior Emerson Ritter, who ran a smart race, moving up steadily throughout the second half, and out-kicking key targets down the finishing stretch.  She finished 9th, earning All-State honors, and improved her time from the East Coast Elite meet (same course) by 42 seconds. Congratulations, Em!  

Leanne had an incredibly strong race, finishing in 21st place with a time of 20:27. This is Leanne's 2nd fastest time of the year, surpassed only by her Va. Showcase time at Pole Green. Her time yesterday was a 1 minute 20 second improvement over her East Coast Elite time. Leanne has been such an incredible asset to our team, and is a truly wonderful, dedicated runner. I'm sad that we only get her for one year--but I'm so thankful to have even that amount of time with her. 

Logan followed close behind Leanne in 20:39, coming in 30th place overall.  This is also Logan's 2nd fastest time, and only 10 seconds slower than her Va. Showcase time at Pole Green! This is also a 2 minute, 43 second improvement over her East Coast Elite time--this is by far the biggest improvement of anyone on the team.  

Zoey had a strong race, and is on the up again after her time off for her concussion scare. She ran 20:50, an impressive 57 second improvement over her East Coast Elite time. Zoey is one of the most enthusiastic runners I have ever coached! On the bus on the way home yesterday I overhead her talking to other young runners about how she was going to "lock in" for the track seasons and run a lot over the summer so that she could have an incredible XC season next year. That is the kind of long-term focus I love hearing!

Cameron moved from first alternate to  our 5th runner yesterday, running a speedy time of 21:33. This is also Cam's 2nd fastest time ever, behind her Va Showcase time. When she heard she needed to step up and fill in for injured Willa, she didn't hesitate to do everything she could for the team.  This was a 1 minute 39 second improvement over her East Coast Elite time! 

Juliet pushed through stomach issues to still run a strong race, finishing in 22:14. While this isn't the race she wanted, she didn't give up and ran 14 seconds faster than her East Coast Elite time.  I'm proud of everything Juliet has accomplished this season--she had huge strides and personal bests, breaking both 22 (she was hanging around that barrier for 2 years!) and 21!

Veteran runner Lily Smith finished her race incredibly strong yesterday, out-kicking another runner on the line with a time of 22:46. I know this isn't the time she was hoping for, but it wasn't for lack of dedication, effort, and positivity. I've coached Lily for 5 years and have seen her on her ups and downs, and I know she has more exciting races to come in Outdoor Track. She has been an integral part of the team for a long time, and I will miss her greatly next year. She is moving on to swimming this winter, but we will see her back for her last Outdoor Track season in the spring. Thank you for all that you have done for the team over the years, Lily!

Middle School County Championships

 3 of our 8th graders wrapped up their XC season with the Middle School XC County Championship meet at Monticello on Nov. 2. All three of these girls ran big PRs on a nice, cool morning, and all of them finished in the top 15. Sofia Montini came in 2nd overall with a great personal best time of 15:04. It was fantastic for her to be able to end her season with an incredible race--she took the time she needed to heal from her twisted ankle and was able to finish strong! She was followed closely by Maddie Fritts in 3rd place, with a personal best time of 15:05. Maddie has had a race-heavy season and has stayed strong the entire time! Pepper Lovelace finished in 14th with a time of 19:03 (over a minute PR!). She has improved steadily over the course of her first season of XC, and ended on a high note! These 3 girls, along with Ruby Carlson and Alex Hodgson, are absolutely wonderful to coach, put the hard work in, and represent a bright future for our WAHS XC team!

VARSITY RUNNERS-UP AT REGIONAL MEET: MOVING ON TO STATES!

  We take nothing for granted this season, and tackle each meet one by one. Regionals was no different, and the WAHS varsity girls continued to stay focused and met the main goal of moving on to States. Wednesday was a day of high emotions, unseasonal heat, a long bus ride, and an unusually long wait time before racing. Despite all of these factors, the girls placed second overall behind powerhouse Spotswood, and several of the girls had excellent races. I went into this meet thinking it would be a fast course,  but it turned out not to be across the board for most runners and teams. The day after the meet we had a quick team meeting and I was able to tell them that our team time average was 38 seconds slower than at VA Showcase, while Spotswood's team time average was 1 min 7 seconds slower. This bodes well for us going into States--not necessarily meaning that we will come out on top of that team (although it is never out of the realm of possibility!), but that we are "on the up" and set to peak at the right time (the State meet). Keep up the positive energy, do all the right things this upcoming week, and you can go into States knowing that you are ready to show off all of your hard work! 

The team was led by 5th place finisher Emerson Ritter with a time of 18:54. She stayed strong the whole race, breaking up the Flurvanna dynamic duo and placing ahead of Mancini from Spotswood. She did all of this while not feeling her best, as she discovered the next day that she has walking pnuemonia! She is on the path to a full recovery before States however, and she has been on medication and resting since Regionals. Way to go, Emerson! 

Our other All-Regional finisher was Logan Juhl, who finished in 11th place with a time of 20:10, a huge personal best for her! Logan was wearing her brand new spikes and moved up throughout the entire meet, going above and beyond what I expected of her. She is just now beginning to discover what she can do, and is poised to have another breakthrough race at States.

Juliet Kielbasa also had a strong race, finishing in 20:56, just 22 seconds off of her PR time at the VA Showcase. Juliet is another runner that is steadily improving, and runs a smart race each time. She was followed by Leanne (21:21),  Zoey (21:22), and Lily (22:10).  Although not everyone had a perfect race by any means, we talked about how one race does not define you, and that you've just got regroup and keep doing the right things at practice, knowing that better races will come. 

Our alternates were not sitting by and resting that day either: three of them (Hadley, Daisy, and Anja) did a hard workout with Coach Margaret. Cameron was race ready and on the line at Regionals, and then did the workout on her own right after the race. They have shown up to every practice and have done all of the same workouts as the girls that have been racing.  Abbie had also been doing all of the training right up until she got pretty darn sick last week. Being an alternate is a tough spot to be in--but our alternates know that on many of the other teams we race against they would be in the top 7, or even top 5. This just shows our incredible depth. Again, to revert back to the numbers, we have 18 girls in front of Spotswood's 10th runner.  Each and every one of our XC girls should be proud of what they have accomplished, no matter if they're in the top group or are just starting out!

What's Next? Indoor Track!

 Cross Country season is still going strong for our varsity top girls as they compete at the Regional Meet this Wednesday in Covington. While these girls will continue to train for XC for a while longer, most of the team has finished their XC season. Here is some information for options going forward:

--WAHS has a strong Indoor Track program. The head coach is Marie Whitten, and she works mainly with the sprinters and jumpers. We also have other wonderful coaches that work with sprinters, jumpers, throwers, vaulters, etc. This year I'll be working with the mid and long distance girls. Indoor Track practice times are after school just like cross country, and often Saturday mornings for the mid / long distance groups. If you aren't sure where you belong, reach out to me and I can give you more information. Make sure you register for the team on the WAHS athletic page. Official practice begins Nov. 11.

--XC Runners who have finished their season should take a full week off. This upcoming week is the perfect time to rest and regroup before grearing up for track. 

--We may have an early season meet in early Dec, but for the most part December will be more of a base building time for the mid / distance girls. We will also have some fun things to look forward to such as the Crozet Tunnel Run, a Jingle Bell Run + Scavenger Hunt around UVA, and we also might join in on some fun community 5k races. 

Reach out if you have any questions!  

WAHS 8TH GRADERS SHOW THEIR TALENT AT MIDDLE SCHOOL STATE MEET

 Our 8th graders participated in the Middle School State Meet at Pole Green Park on Saturday, and all 4 that were able to compete ran a 4k PR! I could not be more proud of all 5 of these incredible young athletes. Each and every one of them does everything right--they are enthusiastic, focused, willing to work hard and listen to advice, and stay positive even when things get challenging.

PR PARTIES GALORE AT RAGGED MOUNTAIN CUP AND VIRGINIA SHOWCASE

 During the craziness of Spirit Week WAHS girls competed in two more meets this past week, and both allowed our team to show their stuff! On Tuesday we were back at Panorama for the Ragged Mountain Cup meet, and on Saturday we were down at Pole Green Park for the Virginia Showcase Meet (formerly Milestat Invitational). In both meets there were drastic time cuts from the previous year for the majority of the girls, and huge PRs and season bests across the board. 

RAGGED MOUNTAIN CUP

At the Ragged Mountain Cup on Tuesday the weather was overcast and about 60 degrees when they ran--near perfect conditions. Despite having raced hard 3 days earlier, both the varsity and open race girls performed very well. 

VIRGINIA SHOWCASE: FAST AND FUN!

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure that the Virginia Showcase Meet would be the huge success that it normally is due to the fact that it was our THIRD race in SEVEN days, and also came at the end of Spirit Week. I wasn't as optimistic as I could have been on how well the girls would be able to perform. Well, they quickly put my aprehension to rest, starting with Emerson running a PR in the Showcase race right through to our JV girls getting it done in a HUGE race with over 330 girls. Both our Elite and JV teams finished in 6th place. Our Varsity girls, including both the Showcase and Elite races, had an average time of scoring runners (top 5) of 19:54, which is a very solid time. Equally impressive is our JV average time of 21:49! Way to go!

3Emerson got us off to a great start in the Showcase race, running a 5 second PR time of 18:00.  This is a 42 second improvement over last year! Great job! In the Elite race a little while later, Zoey kept it rolling with a sub 20 time of 19:38, a 51 second PR, a time that earned her 20th place overall.  Leanne had a stellar race, dropping from 21:47 to 20:01.  Juliet ran an incredible time of 20:34, a PR of 1 minute 42 seconds! Logan just keeps on dropping time too. She ran a 1 minute 8 second PR, running a time of 20:49.  Willa finished just behind her in 21:01, a 1 minute 22 second PR.  Cam finished in 21:18, a drop of 59 seconds. Lily S finished in 21:26--while this isn't a PR time for her, it is solid considering she has been so sick.  Daisy dropped 1 minute 22 seconds off her previous PR, running a super fast time of 21:42.  Anja Le (21:44) also ran a PR, dropping 1 minute 37 seconds! Despite a bad fall, Abbie ran a season best time of 21:48! 

Of these 11 girls, 8 of them broke a big time barrier. Zoey broke 20 for the first time, while both Leanne and Logan broke 21. Willa and Cam both broke 22.  Three of our Warriors decided that breaking 1 time barrier just wasn't enough: Juliet skipped the 21s all together, going from the 22s to breaking 21. Both Daisy and Anja jumped the 22s, going from the 23s to breaking 22.  All of these girls gave it their all yesterday!

Not to be outdone, our JV team also had big time drops across the board at the Virginia Showcase. The team was led by 1st place finisher Maddie Fritts! Maddie ran an incredibly smart race, moving up from 25th place at the 1k, 12 place at the 1 mile, 10th place at the 2k, and then up to 2nd place by the 2 mile. She passed the leader after the 4k mark, and ended up finishing in 20:09, over 13 seconds in front of the number 2 runner.  This is a huge PR of 1 minute 23 seconds: What a race!

Sofia Montini also ran great, despite having missed training and meets due to a sprained ankle. She ran a solid PR time of 21:19, earning her a spot on the podium in 18th place. Great work!

Kinley ran a very strong race as well, finishing in a season best time of 22:19. Hadley broke 23 for the first time, running a PR time of 22:22, an improvement of 1 minute 9 seconds.  SJ dropped 53 seconds, running a good PR time of 23:03. Lark had an outstanding finish! She ran a PR time of 23:04! Both of these girls are ready to drop under 23.  Lauren joined the PR Party too: she ran 24:08, a drop of 1 minute 8 seconds.  Sarina ran a strong season best  time of 24:17, and Sophia Cook ran a PR time of 24:28! Finleigh decided it was time to break 25, and she did so in style, running a time of 24:32. Finleigh is an interesting case: for the past 3 meets before this one, she dropped exactly 2 seconds each time. This time she dropped 61 seconds! Lily C-L also broke 25, running a big PR time of 24:48, a 55 second drop.  Hanna broke the 25 minute barrier as well in a PR time of  24:56.  Anja La F broke 26 for the first time! She ran 25:50, smiling the whole way again. Anja is becoming a true team leader as well as running two PRs this week! Paige also ran a big PR yesterday, finishing in 26:01. She had the biggest PR of the day at 2 minutes 38 seconds! Way to go, Paige! Peyton ran a solid season best time of 26:20 as well.  And while Anisten (26:31) and Miriam (27:25) did not run PRs, they both ran strong and were not far off their previous best times. This group of runners continues to show the true depth and talent of our team! 

MIXED BAG AT AHS INVITATIONAL

 This past Saturday had some extremes, both in temperatures and races. As far as the temperatures, our first runners (the Freshman Girls Race) got to compete when it was 57 degrees out! Fast forward until noon when our JV girls competed, and then add 25 degrees to the temperature. What a difference!  We also had some ups and downs in terms of racing--some girls ran great, and some struggled yesterday. If you were one of the girls that didn't have a great race, try not to dwell on it too much. That said,  sometimes it is helpful to go over a mental checklist of what you did yesterday that may have been different than other, more successful races. Perhaps you got less sleep (Homecoming game ring a bell?). Were you on your feet more the night before? How was your hydration / nutrition the day before?  All of that said, not every race is going to be a PR or season best, and sometimes you won't know exactly why.  Regroup, stay positive, and just know that a good race is around the corner.

Our team had some really great success stories yesterday. Out of the 26 girls that competed, 12 had PRs and 6 had season best times! Additionally, out of the 20 girls that competed both at the VTCA and AHS meets within one week (same course) a whopping 17 ran faster times this week. 

The following girls ran Personal Best times yesterday: Cam, Hadley, Finleigh, Lily C-L, Ada, Miriam, Daisy, Zoey, Juliet, Paige, Pepper, and Maddie. The following girls ran a Season Best time yesterday: Sophia C, Emerson, Abbie, Hanna, Peyton, and Anja La F. 

You are all working so hard (great workout at Coyner's this week)--keep it up!

This week, as I know you all are aware, is Spirit Week. Have FUN, but please keep doing all of the things to be successful with your training and racing. We have a race-heavy week (Cup Tuesday, VA Showcase Saturday). Sleep, eat well, hydrate, stretch, etc. while still enjoying all the mayhem of Spirit Week!

FRESHMEN GIRLS SHINE IN THE EARLY MORNING COOL TEMPS DESPITE LACK OF COMPETITION