Albemarle’s mighty sophomores (and an impressive pair of juniors) put together a strong outing at the Group 5A cross country state championships Friday, grabbing second place in the state just 14 points behind repeat state champion Tuscarora on Day One of the VHSL cross country championships.
It was a strong move up the finishing board as last year the Patriots finished fifth overall with a lot of freshmen in the mix. With a year under their belt, those young runners powered Albemarle to the brink of a state title.
Ryann Helmers led the Patriots with an eighth-place clocking of 19:17 at Great Meadows in The Plains and two classmates weren’t far behind her as Kenzie Lloyd finished with a time of 19:38 to take 11th overall and Gabriella Bock finished 19th with a time of 20:06.
With those three sophomores setting the tone, the two squad’s two juniors stepped up too as Halley Dillenback and Emma Weaver finished back-to-back at 35th and 36th with times of 20:47 and 20:49 respectively to round out the scoring.
Sophomore Natalie Li and senior Gwen Pattison also ran strong races, finishing 59th and 72nd respectively.
That collective effort vaulted the Patriots to the runner-up slot, outpacing third-place Hickory by 17 points.
Other Locals in Day One of the VHSL cross country championships
Albemarle runner Jonathan Muhler, who qualified as an individual in the Region 5A North race, finished 31st in the boys Group 5A race with a time of 17:07. Teammate Mark Pellissier, another sophomore, finished 58th with a time of 17:37.
Katelyn Wilson, a Louisa sophomore, finished 86th overall in the Group 4A race while Justice Anderson ran a 17:40 representing the Louisa boys and finished 48th.
