ONA, W.Va. — Projected 30-degree temperatures will greet runners in Ona Saturday morning, as 17 individuals and three teams from the Greater Morgantown area vie for titles in the 2019 WVSSAC State Cross-Country Meet.
Morgantown swept the Region I meet on Oct. 25, to put both teams in the team race, and the individual top 10 was filled with Mohigans as well. For the girls, sophomore Lea Hatcher took 1st place, while freshman Irene Riggs and senior Athena Young took 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Three MHS boys also made the top 10 cut, with senior Jackson Core placing the highest at 2nd. Juniors Jackson Snyder (6th) and Quinn Jacquez (9th) were the final two runners in the top group.
After finishing 3rd at last year’s state meet, Hatcher’s game plan going in doesn’t have a specific placement as the main goal. Rather, she’s just trying to beat a specific time.
“I think giving myself more personal goals makes me more motivated, especially for states,” Hatcher said after the regional awards ceremony. “It’s not necessarily about the placement. Our main goal (as a team) is to win on both sides.”
University was close behind Morgantown, also putting both teams into the top 3 qualifying spots — both second-place finishes. Out of the boys’ race, three UHS boys qualified for the individual race with Larry Josh Edwards, a sophomore, repeating as the 1st place regional runner. Rocco DeVincent (3rd) and Jordan Thomas (5th) were the other placing racers. The girls’ race saw senior Zoe Shetty and junior Caroline Kirby take 4th and 5th, respectively, as well as Emma Williams who finished 8th.
“It feels good to repeat,” Edwards said. “It’s what I expected to happen. It’s what I should be doing — keeping it consistent. I have a race strategy — I’m not gonna say it now — but I know what the course is like and from getting other people’s opinions I have a plan.”
Edwards finished 2nd overall last year.
Heading into the final meet, Hatcher, Young, Kirby, Shetty and Riggs, are in good spots, ranked No. 1-5 respectively in Class AAA. Preston’s Allie Martin (No. 6) and Chloe Stark (No. 8) are also in the top 10, as the two had strong finishes in the Region I meet when Martin placed 6th and Stark came in 9th.
Edwards is also in a good spot as the current No. 1 boy in Class AAA. He’s followed by Wyatt Hanshaw (Hurricane), Cole Friend (Preston), Core, Chris Lucas (Hampshire), Cooper Gibson (Cabell Midland), Sam Lerose (CMHS), DeVincent, Trevor Carson (Riverside) and Franklin Angelos (Parkersburg) to round out the top 10.
Friend placed 4th overall at the regional meet and will be joined at states in the individual race by teammates Trey Smith-Tatham and Hayden Thomas who took the 7th- and 8th-place finishes.
Both of Preston’s teams qualified for states as well, each claiming 3rd.
The first race of the day will start at 10 a.m. at Cabell Midland.
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