Cross Country Team '81

During the first cross country practice of 1978, Coach Kuhn told the freshmen if they ran with him for four years, they would win a state title when they were seniors. It was a bold statement by Kuhn, who had never coached cross country before, and only nine boys showed up to run that day, an abysmal showing. But Kuhn was an avid marathon runner and truly believed his statement. 

Four seasons later, in 1981, OPHS won the Virginia cross country state title with a record-low score of 39 points. The team also won the George Mason Invitational, the UVA Invitational, and the George Town Prep Invitation proving they were the best cross-country team in Virginia and the greater Washington, D.C. area, including both public and private schools. The team’s top runner, Kevin Ambrose, was named the Washington Post cross country runner of the year. 

The team was close-knit and ran incredible mileage across Prince William and Fairfax Counties. From school, the team would run to Fairfax Station, Fountain Head Park, and the entire length of Bull Run Regional Park during various workouts, returning hours later, often covered in mud. 

Supporters of the 1981 OPHS cross country team would shout, “Ducks on the Pond” during races. It was an inside team joke because the chant was meaningless for cross country, and it would confuse and annoy competing teams. And the OPHS runners could easily distinguish their supporters during the race. 

Several weeks after the state race, the OPHS cross country team presented Coach Kuhn with a large photo collage of their remarkable season which is still hanging on a wall in his house. 

After the season, two runners on the OPHS team, Kevin Ambrose and Mark Rusciolelli, qualified to run the National Cross Country Championship race at Disney World in December 1981.