By Jim McGrath | jmcgrath@alextimes.com
The boys and girls cross-country teams of Alexandria City High School ran through the hills and fields of Episcopal High School’s 5,000-meter course and emerged victorious in both varsity races at the Joe Halm Memorial City Cross-Country Championships Oct. 7.
Also known as the “city meet,” the four-team event also determines the top individual harriers in the Port City. This year, Jason Day of Bishop Ireton High School and Sophie Meisner of ACHS, both pre-race favorites, emerged as champions.
For Day, the dash around the looping Episcopal course was similar to a walk in the park, as the Cardinal senior topped his nearest competitor by almost a minute. His time of 15:29.1 ranks him No. 10 in the state for the 5K distance. With the VA XC Showcase taking place Saturday, Day has a chance to lower his school-record time.
So does Meisner, who entered the meet with a personal-best time of 18:34.5, run at the Wolverine Invitational in mid-September. ACHS will also attend the VA XC Showcase, which takes place over the speedy 5,000-meter course at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, just northeast of Richmond.
Meisner was not coy about her goal for this Saturday.
“Fitness-wise, I have felt like I’m capable of breaking 18 [minutes] all season. I just have to unlock everything on one day,” Meisner said, hinting that the showcase will be a prime opportunity.
The overall race was closer than expected, which was not a surprise to Meisner. Teammate Quinn McGlinchey entered with a best time of 19:15, and St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School’s Sydney Wanamaker had recently broken her school record with a 19:09 clocking.
One unexpected factor complicated the race for Meisner.
“My shoe came off just before the half-mile mark,” she lamented.
Meisner managed to wedge back into her footwear to finish in 19:04.7. McGlinchey was second in 19:20.7, followed by Wanamaker (19:24.5), SSSAS’ Avery Gibian (19:47.5) and Ireton’s Catherine Messing (19:50.3). Maroon senior Lydia Navitsky (No. 6 at 20:08.5) and Ireton’s Sophia Larose (No. 7 at 20:28.2) also earned first-team All-City honors.
Titan junior McGlinchey was pleased with her performance.
“I have been consistently around 19:20 [5K time] all season,” she told the Times. “I want to get under 19.”
The Titans won the girls team title with 34 points, followed by Ireton (49), SSSAS (66) and Episcopal (83).
Henry Krebs of SSSAS was second in the boys race with a time of 16:25.1. Jack Hersey of ACHS was the first Titan finisher, placing third in 16:29, with the Saints’ Liam Riedy (16:36.4) and ACHS’ Connor Foley (16:52.4) finishing out the top five. Rounding out the All-City team are El-Mehdi Manafi of ACHS (No. 6 at 17:16.4) and Ireton’s Nick Mundarain (No. 7 at 17:18.6).
In the team standings, ACHS tallied 33. Ireton nipped SSSAS 47-48, while Episcopal placed fourth with 107 points.
SSSAS is also slated to participate in this weekend’s showcase, which is known as the chance for most runners to earn a personal best. The fast course and stringent competition has given the race a reputation as the fastest high school race in the Mid-Atlantic. More than 300 teams from 15 states have entered the field.
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