Boys Edge Halifax to Earn Third Straight State Title; Girls Place 10th

Oct. 28, 2016 – On another perfect autumn day, the Trailblazers trekked to Hagan Stone Park near Greensboro for the NCISAA state championship meet. The boys team entered as the two-time defending champ and a heavy pre-race favorite based on performances recorded online this season. Defending individual champion Quinn Schneider surged to the lead from the opening moments of the race and never looked back – he demolished the field in a fast time of 16:12, securing his status as arguably the GOAT (greatest of all time) in the NCISAA 1A division. The top Halifax runner crossed the line almost a minute later to get the 2nd spot, as expected.

Things were really looking up for Woodlawn when senior Zach Lorch surged past a Wayne Country Day runner at the finish to take the 3rd spot in a personal record time of 17:58. However, two more Halifax runners followed shortly thereafter in the 6th and 8th spots to swing the momentum in their favor. Junior Tripp Berini, despite missing the previous meet due to injury, bounced back with a strong performance to claim the 12th position for Woodlawn and force a deadlock with Halifax at 16 points apiece. The tiebreaker (and the state title) would come down to the 4th runner for each team – and the crowd did not have to wait long to figure out who would prevail. Just 7 seconds after Tripp crossed the line, 8th grader Jackson McGeough recorded a personal record of 19:23, good for 14th place and well ahead of the 4th Halifax runner (in fact, senior Austen Castellano and freshman Ethan Mason would also finish in front of that runner, highlighting the tremendous depth of our boys team). Sophomore JT Faccone also had a strong performance in the race, narrowly missing a personal record as well.

On the girls side, captain Ally Fleming led the way for Woodlawn with a 27th place finish, followed by fellow sophomores Emma McGeough (narrowly missing a PR) and Emmy Belloni. Senior Claire Stutzman rounded out the finishes for the Trailblazers, who placed 10th as a team.

Boys Team Results
1. Woodlawn – 16
2. Halifax Academy – 16
3. University Christian – 34
4. Hickory Christian – 45
5. Wayne Country Day – 45
6. Pope John Paul II – 70
7. Lee Christian – 78
8. Statesville Christian – 84
9. American Hebrew Academy – 98
10. Grace Christian (Sanford) – 110
11. Oakwood – 115
12. Wayne Christian – 135
13. United Faith Christian – 144
14. Kerr-Vance Academy – 148
15. Community Christian – 174
16. Ridgecroft – 185
17. The Burlington School – 194

Boys Individual Results
1. Quinn Schneider – 16:12
3. Zach Lorch – 17:58*
12. Tripp Berini – 19:16
14. Jackson McGeough – 19:23*
19. Austen Castellano – 19:47
30. Ethan Mason – 20:39
62. JT Faccone – 22:29

Girls Team Results
1. Wayne Country Day – 23
2. Halifax Academy – 30
3. Wayne Christian – 32
4. University Christian – 44
5. Hickory Christian Academy – 55
6. American Hebrew Academy – 61
7. The Burlington School – 73
8. Community Christian – 86
9. Oakwood – 103
10. Woodlawn – 108
11. Grace Christian (Sanford) – 120
12. Kerr-Vance Academy – 124
13. Lee Christian – 132

Girls Individual Results
27. Ally Fleming – 25:37
38. Emma McGeough – 27:54
61. Emmy Belloni – 32:26
63. Claire Stutzman – 34:49

*New personal record