Woodlawn Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams Claim State Titles

Another picture-perfect autumn day in Charlotte, and another great day of racing by Woodlawn’s varsity boys and girls cross country teams. Over 120 runners from 16 1A schools across the state converged on McAlpine Park to compete in the biggest race of the season – the 2015 NCISAA State Championship.

In the girls event, our Trailblazers kept their composure, even when it appeared as though Wayne Country Day School was running away with the meet in the early stages. At the one-mile mark, WCDS had two runners in the top three spots and a commanding lead in the team competition, while senior Bella Jacoby and freshman Anne Cunningham were running in the fifth and sixth positions. But both Bella and Anne came on strong in the second mile of the race, passing the top four runners and setting up an impressive one-two finish. Anne won the race with a personal record 22:15, while Bella finished right behind her in a personal record 22:18. The team competition came down to freshman Ally Fleming – she would need to place in the top 20 to assure Woodlawn a victory. Ally ran smart and strong the whole way, finishing with her trademark kick over the final 200 meters to place 15th in a time that was just 18 seconds off her personal best. That would be plenty to give Woodlawn its first-ever girls cross country state title – outscoring Wayne Country Day by a comfortable margin of 9 points. Senior co-captain Taylor Scott rounded out the team effort, finishing in 23rd place.

The Woodlawn boys lined up to race with a bit more pressure on their shoulders – they were the clear favorites in the race as they attempted to defend their 2014 title. They responded by running another solid race, with four Trailblazers placing in the top ten positions, and a wide margin of victory – 14 points – over runner-up Hickory Christian. Junior Quinn Schneider took the individual honors, running by himself the whole way and finishing over a minute in front of the second-place runner. Junior Zach Lorch dialed up a ferocious kick to pass an opponent in the final 100 meters and place third. Sophomore Tripp Berini fought off a painful calf cramp in the second mile and finished in fifth place to wrap up the Trailblazer scoring. Junior Austen Castellano joined those three runners on the All-State team as he finished in the ninth spot. Freshman Josh Earle missed his PR by just three seconds, while sophomore Wil Cannon and freshman JT Faccone set personal records for the 5K distance.

Boys Team Results
1. Woodlawn – 9
2. Hickory Christian – 23
3. Halifax Academy – 33
4. Lee Christian – 54
5. Wayne Country Day – 58
6. Oakwood – 66
7. Cape Fear Christian – 81
8. Wayne Christian – 98
9. Kerr-Vance – 102
10. Grace Christian – 115
11. University Christian – 116
12. Oak Ridge Military – 126
13. Ridgecroft – 133
14. Burlington – 150
15. United Faith – 164
16. Community Christian

Boys Individual Results
1. Quinn Schneider – 16:59
2. (Halifax Academy) – 18:06
3. Zach Lorch – 18:49
4. (Hickory Christian) – 18:50
5. Tripp Berini – 19:26
6. (Hickory Christian) – 19:30
7. (Cape Fear Christian) – 19:41
8. (Wayne Country Day) – 19:50
9. Austen Castellano – 19:50
24. Josh Earle – 21:39
31. Wil Cannon – 22:07*
38. JT Faccone – 23:14*

Girls Team Results
1. Woodlawn – 18
2. Wayne Country Day – 27
3. Halifax Academy – 30
4. Hickory Christian – 32
5. Burlington – 60
6. University Christian – 68
7. Community Christian – 74
8. Oakwood – 76
9 Grace Christian – 87
10. Kerr-Vance – 89
11. Lee Christian – 106

Girls Individual Results
1. Anne Cunningham – 22:15*
2. Bella Jacoby – 22:18*
3. (Community Christian) – 22:35
4. (Hickory Christian) – 22:49
5. (Halifax Academy) – 22:51
6. (Halifax Academy) – 23:02
7. (Wayne Country Day) – 23:29
8. (Wayne Country Day) – 23:37
15. Ally Fleming – 26:03
23. Taylor Scott – 27:23

* Personal Record

Full Results
Post-race interviews with Anne & Bella and Quinn