The day closed with the most closely predicted team race in the Class AAA girls and an assault on the top 30 recorded times on the course. The tight 4-way battle turned into a three way battle that didn't end up quite so tight as Morgantown High School placed three girls on the All-State squad and sped to an 11 point victory over Preston County. University was a scant six points behind Preston in third. Individually, University's Amber Riley started to pull away early in the 2nd mile and outdistanced the field in a course-record setting time.

My first checkpoint in this race was the mile mark, and as expected, two runners had already distanced themselves from the field. University's Amber Riley led the way to the mile marker, crossing in 6:41. Preston's Kaylyn Christopher was right behind at 6:42. I didn't get remaining times at the mile because people started coming too close together to record them. Preston's Ashley Teets was next through, trailed closely by Jefferson's Brooke Boening. They were followed closely by the Morgantown tandem of Allison Pettit and Monica Chase. Robert C. Byrd's Lauren DeMarco was next across the line (unless I missed a picture...my notes aren't thorough enough) followed by Fairmont Senior's Chelsea Clark. Next across was Hurricane's Alex Dent and University's Lydia Martinelli. I have a blank photo where I may have missed someone, but my next picture has Spring Valley's Kylie Lemons, Nicholas' Hannah Henderson, Morgantown's Emma Berry, Nitro's Ashton Clemons, Buckhannon-Upshur's Stephanie Barlow, and the Preston pair of Ari Kasprowicz and Jordan Hamric.

The next checkpoint was at the WVU Extension service building at approximately 1.5 miles. Amber Riley had made a major move and established quite a gap over Kaylyn Christopher. Brooke Boening had moved into 3rd place with Allison Pettit leading Ashley Teets for 4th. Monica Chase was holding 6th. Lauren DeMarco was running in 7th. Lydia Martinelli had moved into 8th and Chelsea Clark was in 9th. Alex Dent was running in 10th, followed by Ashton Clemons, Emma Berry, and Hannah Henderson in the pursuit group.

By the two mile mark, Amber Riley had opened up a 12 second gap. She came through in 12:49, while Kaylyn Christopher crossed in 13:01. Allison Pettit had moved into third, crossing in 13:21. Brooke Boening was solidly in 4th, crossing in 13:21. Ashley Teets remained in 5th crossing in 13:33. Monica Chase held a very narrow lead over Lauren DeMarco for 6th, with both crossing in 13:36. Lydia Martinelli was running in 8th. Chelsea Clark was holding 9th. Alex Dent and Emma Berry was dead even for 10th with Ashton Clemons, Hannah Henderson, and Morgantown's Aubrey Moskal in the chase group.

Coming onto the track, Amber Riley had it wrapped up. She gave out a triumphant yell as she rounded the last turn and charged across the finish line in 19:42. A course record in far less than ideal conditions. Kaylyn Christopher had closed the gap only by one second, crossing in 19:53, good for the 4th best time on the course. Allison Pettit pulled away to easily take 3rd place crossing in 20:10, good enough to tie her for the 11th best performance on the course. Brooke Boening crossed in 20:33, holding 4th place and tieing her for the 22nd best performance on the course. Ashley Teets closed on Boening but could not catch her, finishing 5th in 20:38, good enough to tie her for the 26th best time on the course. Lauren DeMarco held off a late push by Lydia Martinelli to claim 6th. Their times were 20:49 and 20:51. Chelsea Clark got by Monica Chase to take 8th place. They crossed in 20:57 and 21:01, respectively. The final All-State spot was claimed by Emma Berry, who crossed in 21:18. The University girls ran very well. The Preston girls ran very well, but the favorites in the meet were the Morgantown girls, and they also ran very well. The Morgantown crew was favored and still ran 15 points better than expected, leaving them with an outstanding score of 38, the lowest winning total of the day.

It's a little difficult to pick an MVP for the meet. Jefferson moved from 8th to 5th, so there has to be some consideration there. Hedgesville moving from 9th to 7th warrants a look. Morgantown, Preston, and University all had girls move up, so consideration has to be given there as well. Morgantown didn't have a runner move up enough to account for their win. The Emma Berry, Aubrey Moskal, and Gabrielle Lafata combination accounted for 18 team points, but none for more than 7. The difference between them and the University boys is that Morgantown was supposed to win and did so. University moved up from a projected 3rd to take the title. Sometimes being the favorite has its drawbacks. Jefferson's crew didn't have anyone move up enough to account for more than one of their places. Hedgesville's biggest mover wasn't enough by herself to account for one of their spots. Preston and University both moved up a spot from the projected team standings and have a decent rivalry in the NCAC. The margin between the two was pretty narrow, and Preston did have someone move up enough to account for that spot. It's a tough call, but this year's MVP for the State Meet is Hilary McConnell. She was picked to finish 30th and finished 18th. That gained her team 9 team points and provided the cushion necessary to fend off an impressive run by the University girls (particularly the impressive climb up the charts of Sarah Martinelli).

How did RunWV do on the predictions? This was a middle of the road set. The team champion was picked correctly. University and Preston moved up a spot. Jefferson moved up 3, Hedgesville moved up 2, and Capital moved up 1. Cabell Midland dropped a pair. Elkins was off a position. Parkersburg and George Washington finished as expected, and Ripley fell five spots. Individually, 8 of the predicted top 10 earned All-State Honors. Only 10 of the predicted top 15 finished in the top 15, and 20 of the top 25 finished in the top. Those who made the move into the top 10 to earn All-State were Robert C. Byrd's Lauren DeMarco (picked 12th, got 6th) and Morgantown's Emma Berry (picked 18th, got 10th). Those that made the climb into the top 25 were University's Sarah Martinelli (picked 36th, got 13th), Preston's Hilary McConnell (picked 30th, got 18th), Hampshire's Rana Conneway (picked 27th, got 21st), Morgantown's Ahna Lewis (picked 31st, got 23rd), and University's Jennifer van der Sloot (picked 26th, got 24th). The big mover of the day was University's Sarah Martinelli who rose 23 places from her predicted finish of 36th to her actual finish of 13th. In a look to the future, the top two freshmen were University's Lydia Martinelli (7th) and Fairmont Senior's Chelsea Clark (8th).

I offer my congratulations to the Morgantown girls. You were ranked at the top of Class AAA for the entire season, and you showed why at the State Meet. You performed above and beyond expectations. You ran great when you could have let the unpleasant conditions get to you. You continue to excel when everyone is gunning for you, never faltering in the face of ever-increasing pressure.

I offer our congratulations to Amber Riley. You've been aiming for this moment your entire career. You've never backed down from a challenge and never been afraid to take charge of a race. You run with grit and determination and the desire to be a champion, and today you became one.

I offer my congratulations to the girls who shook up the predictions. You prove what I try to tell people every year. Rankings and predictions do not determine the finish. You determine the finish.