Hunter, Kelati fastest at Great Meadow

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Andrew Hunter is focused on winning the Foot Locker cross country title in December and so his build up to that meet has been carefully planned.

The senior from Loudoun Valley and the top high school runner in the country said that he wanted to make a hard effort out of his state meet or the Foot Locker South regional meet on Nov. 28.

Despite running 15:03 for his third consecutive state title at Great Meadow last Friday -- and winning by 56 seconds -- Hunter said the course conditions weren't ideal to make a full-throttle effort there.

In 2014, Hunter ran 14:41 for a course record.

"Last year it was really cold and I broke the record and was pleased with that," Hunter said. "I'm in better shape this year."

High winds, long unmowed grass and spots of mud made running for a fast time nearly impossible.

"I got out there the first 800 meters running through thick grass and the first mile was 4:40 but it felt a lot harder than that," said Hunter, who announced his signing to the University of Oregon the day before the race. "So I thought, let's just get the win and move on and hopefully run fast next (time)."

Based on what happened in the rest of the meet over two days, Hunter's time was fast. Gannon Willcutts (15:35) of Western Albermarle, also a Foot Locker qualifier in 2014, logged the next fastest time to win Class 3A. Jonathan Lomogda of Cox ran 15:34 to win the Class 6A title.

On the girls side, Heritage standout Weini Kelati continued to show that she is one of the top contenders for a national championship as she ran 17:22 to win the Class 4A race – 16 seconds than she ran in 2014 on the way to a runner-up finish. Libby Davidson of E.C. Glass, who won in 2014 by 26 seconds, was 29 seconds behind Kelati this time.

Heritage also won the meet with 86 points. Hunter’s Loudoun Valley squad, which also included his freshman brother Jacob, won the 4A title with 47 points. Loudoun Valley moved up to 4A from 3A this year.

In Class 6A, Lake Braddock’s Kate Murphy ran 18:20 to lead her team to the championship with 44 points. Freshman Rachel Northcutt from Cosby was second in 18:44. Oakton finished second with 88 points. Patriot standout Rachel McArthur missed the meet because of an injury, which prevented her from qualifying.

Northcutt’s brother, Grant, was second to Lomogda in the 6A boys race.

Like the girls, Lake Braddock’s boys won the 6A with 46 points. James Madison was second with 106.

In Class 5A, sophomore Emma Wolcott of Tuscarora won by 41 seconds, running a time of 17:55. She also led her team to the title with 75 points.

Waleed Suliman of Douglas Freeman, a junior, won the 5A boys race in 15:41. Fitsum Seyoum of Tuscarora was second in 15:56. Stone Bridge won a tight team battle with 78 points to defeat Thomas Jefferson S&T (84) and Tuscarora (92).

In Class 3A, Blacksburg’s girls demonstrated that they are one of the top teams in the state by placing all seven runners in the top 11. The team scored 23 points led by overall winner Sophia Link, a freshman, in 18:13.

Willcutts won by 25 seconds in the boys race. He led Western Albemarle to a narrow 60-64 victory over Blacksburg for the team championship.

In Class 2A, Emma Call and Khloe Pointer went 1-2 to lead Maggie Walker to a dominant 30-point win. The same thing happened in the boys race, where Maggie Walker’s Ryan Buscaglia and Evan Fisher went 1-2 on a team that scored 39 points.

In Class 1A, Trevor Dominy led Auburn to the team title by placing first overall in 16:20. Radford’s girls prevailed in the girls race. Julia Wood of Rappahannock County won it in 19:44.