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State Meet '97 |
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Imagine that...another rainy day in Elkins. I don't
think I've ever been to that course when it wasn't a
sloppy mess. It rained throughout the AAA races in the
morning adding to an already treacherously muddy and
slippery course.
AAA Girls
The day was led off by the girls AAA event. Holly
Hunter raced out to an early lead in the first half mile
and was never threatened after that. As the runners reached
the bottom of the big hill, Hunter already held a commanding
lead. The Parkersburg South duo of Carrie Small and Kim Dunn
held the second and third spots, and Nikki Moore of Wheeling
Park was running fourth. When the runners came down off the
hill nearly seven minutes later, Hunter's lead had grown to
20 seconds. Sarah Corley had worked her way into second place
and Elkins' own Ryann Matheny had staked a claim to the third
spot. Over the next mile (and two creek crossings) Holly Hunter
added to her advantage slightly and was in control for the half-
mile loop to the finish. Corley had taken control of the second
spot, but the next three were very close together. There
was going to be a fight to the finish between Katharine Gorrell
of George Washington, Elkins' Matheny, and Parkersburg South's
Small. Holly Hunter dominated the field with her 34 second
victory over runner-up Sarah Corley of Fairmont Senior.
Katharine Gorrell of George Washington won the battle for third
position while homestanding Ryann Matheny of Elkins and
Carrie Small of Parkersburg South rounded out the top 5.
The second five was led by Wheeling Park's Nikki Moore and
Fairmont Senior's Heather King. Top placing seniors Kristen
Magyar of Parkersburg and Tosha Rogers of Cabell Midland
finished 8th and 9th, respectively. The All-State team
was rounded out by the meet's top freshman finisher, Anna
Marcozi of North Marion who had what was easily her best
performance of the season.
The team title was a fight all the way, with four teams
having legitimate aspirations to the title. Fairmont Senior
continued their unbeaten streak, narrowly edging Cabell Midland,
Parkersburg, and George Washington for the crown. Two points
were all that separated the winners from their closest
challengers.
How did RUNWV fair in our predictions? Pretty well in
this race. We correctly picked the order and the difference
in scores for the first three teams. We only erred in our
placement of Parkersburg South above North Marion. For
individuals, only three of our top 15 failed to finish in the
top 15, and one of those was injured during the race and
unable to finish. Now for the full results.
AAA Girls Team Results
1. Fairmont Senior 60
2. Cabell Midland 62
3. Parkersburg 65
4. George Washington 73
5. North Marion 109
6. Parkersburg South 137
7. Martinsburg 169
AAA Girls Individual Results
1. Holly Hunter East Fairmont 20:56
2. Sarah Corley Fairmont Senior 21:30
3. Katharine Gorrell George Washington 21:47
4. Ryann Matheny Elkins 22:05
5. Carrie Small Parkersburg South 22:07
6. Nikki Moore Wheeling Park 22:27
7. Heather King Fairmont Senior 22:38
8. Kristen Magyar Parkersburg 23:00
9. Tosha Rogers Cabell Midland 23:09
10. Anna Marcozi North Marion 23:11
11. Sharon Alkire Hampshire 23:17
12. Stephanie Boone Cabell Midland 23:20
13. Lindsey Dobbs George Washington 23:23
14. Karen Keller Parkersburg 23:24
15. Lisa Sappey Hedgesville 23:27
16. Beth Bridgewater Cabell Midland 23:31
17. Kim Dorman Parkersburg 23:39
18. Whitney Daniel North Marion 23:44
19. Lanie Lord George Washington 23:46
20. Emily Brighton Parkersburg 23:59
21. Carrie Friesmuth Fairmont Senior 24:00
22. Melanie Burkovich Fairmont Senior 24:05
23. Mandy Maddox Cabell Midland 24:07
24. Jenny Watkins Cabell Midland 24:11
25. Lelani Robinson George Washington 24:21
26. Michelle Vanhorn Jefferson 24:23
27. Nancy Buchanan Cabell Midland 24:33
28. Erika Reese Capital 24:34
29. Valerie Kelley Fairmont Senior 24:35
30. Fiona Powerly Parkersburg 24:41
31. Jessica Schneider Fairmont Senior 24:50
32. Kim Dunn Parkersburg 25:05
33. Jennifer Daniels North Marion 25:07
34. Emily Johnson Martinsburg 25:09
35. Darcy Robb George Washington 25:12
36. Jackie Morris North Marion 25:18
37. Jeanette Wilson Martinsburg 25:19
38. Rachael Carden Martinsburg 25:20
39. Brandi Gwynn Parkersburg South 25:28
40. Rachel Stevenski Fairmont Senior 25:29
41. Tess Pitmann North Marion 25:36
42. Emily Chandler Parkersburg 25:39
43. Karen Cone Parkersburg 25:52
44. Yohanna Kochersperger Parkersburg South 25:56
45. Lauren Clise Martinsburg 25:58
46. Ayca Gokeen George Washington 26:06
47. Rachel Fox Parkersburg South 26:36
48. Ashley Williams Cabell Midland 26:49
49. Randi Ward Parkersburg South 26:56
50. Aubrie Shramko Martinsburg 26:56
51. Teauna Tuttle North Marion 27:19
52. Kristie Bruner George Washington 27:50
53. Sonja Whiteside Martinsburg 28:11
54. Tanya Ricker Parkersburg South 28:15
55. Jessie Roderick Martinsburg 33:51
AAA Boys
Shortly after the final females finished the course,
the boys AAA race was set to begin. RUNWV pre-race favorite
Larry Atkins sprinted out to an early lead in the first
half mile but was soon after overtaken by Wheeling Park's
Ricky Moore. The pair ran in the one and two spots until
they reached the hill. When the athletes came down from
the plateau a full six minutes later, it was still Ricky
Moore in the lead, but Mike Bartolf of Fairmont Senior had
pulled into second place and Shane Everhart of Martinsburg
was running in third. As the runners exited the final creek
crossing, approximately one-half mile from the finish, Ricky
Moore and Brent Michael of Hampshire were neck and neck.
Michael took a short lead during that half mile, and the two
fought valiantly down the stretch after passing the caboose.
Michael was able to hold Moore off until the last twenty yards
when Moore's speed overcame Michael. Your AAA State Champion:
Ricky Moore.
Wheeling Park's Ricky Moore outkicked Hampshire's Brent
Michael for the individual title. Brooks Crislip of George
Washington took third. Mike Bartolf of Fairmont Senior held
on for fourth, and Shane Everhart of Martinsburg rounded out
the top five. The second five was led off by Bill McCollam of
Capital who shook off a disappointing regional meet. Fairmont
Senior's Marshall Harding finished seventh. Eric Barnes of
Parkersburg came across close behind in eighth. The All-State
Team was completed by Region II individual qualifiers Will Hunter
of East Fairmont and Elkins' Scott Biola.
While the team title was supposedly in doubt before the race,
it became more and more apparent as the event raged on that their
was only one horse in this race. Fairmont Senior literally ran
away from the field to prove that RUNWV was gravely mistaken in
dropping them from the top spot in the Editor's Poll. George
Washington was the next closest competitor at a distant 27 points
behind. Capital finished as the third place team for the meet.
How did RUNWV do on our predictions for the boys race? To put
it simply, we bombed out big time. Our pre-ordained champion Cabell
Midland finished in sixth position (albeit only three points away
from a more respectable fourth), and our sixth place Capital fought
its way into third. Individually, we didn't fair much better.
Although ten of our top fifteen did finish in the top fifteen, we also
had two top fifteen representatives finish outside the top 25 and had
three others between 20 and 25. The boys AAA race was easily our worst
picks of the day. Hey, sometimes bad things happen to good people.
Now for the full results.
AAA Boys Team Results
1. Fairmont Senior 65
2. George Washington 92
3. Capital 106
4. Parkersburg 118
5. Wheeling Park 119
6. Cabell Midland 120
7. Hampshire 136
8. North Marion 146
9. Ripley 178
AAA Boys Individual Results
1. Ricky Moore Wheeling Park 18:15
2. Brent Michael Hampshire 18:17
3. Brooks Crislip George Washington 18:25
4. Mike Bartolf Fairmont Senior 18:28
5. Shane Everhart Martinsburg 18:30
6. Bill McCollam Capital 18:35
7. Marshall Harding Fairmont Senior 18:43
8. Eric Barnes Parkersburg 18:43
9. Will Hunter East Fairmont 18:48
10. Scott Biola Elkins 18:48
11. Larry Atkins Huntington 18:57
12. Mike Guinn St. Albans 18:58
13. Richie Davis Hampshire 19:01
14. Kevin Batey Cabell Midland 19:04
15. Seth Burton Fairmont Senior 19:04
16. Chad Berry Capital 19:08
17. Kevin Boyce Ripley 19:09
18. Luke Winiesdorffer Wheeling Park 19:10
19. Matt Tice Parkersburg 19:11
20. Shawn Greene St. Albans 19:13
21. David Bond Martinsburg 19:14
22. Dennis Simmons Ripley 19:17
23. Josh Swann Cabell Midland 19:22
24. Randy Melgarejo Fairmont Senior 19:23
25. Phillip Parsons Parkersburg South 19:25
26. Travis White North Marion 19:28
27. Max Maxwell North Marion 19:29
28. Jesse Snyder George Washington 19:29
29. James Quarles George Washington 19:32
30. Bill Hoblitzell George Washington 19:37
31. Scott Bartholomew Cabell Midland 19:41
32. Jesse Messenger Preston 19:43
33. Daren Gaus Wheeling Park 19:45
34. Justin Byrd Capital 19:46
35. Seth Crislip George Washington 19:49
36. Brent Garrett Capital 19:51
37. Derek Nuzum Fairmont Senior 19:52
38. David Deem Parkersburg 19:53
39. Jeff Toothman North Marion 19:54
40. Matt Reynolds George Washington 19:56
41. Francis Rengers University 19:57
42. Justin Marietta North Marion 19:58
43. Adam Cone Parkersburg 20:01
44. Andy Pearson Cabell Midland 20:03
45. John Mallory Parkersburg 20:08
46. Wilbur Hollins Capital 20:10
47. Jonathon Harris Ripley 20:11
48. Rob Stevens Martinsburg 20:12
49. Pat Riley Cabell Midland 20:15
50. Jerrod Houser Wheeling Park 20:20
51. Brian Streisel Hampshire 20:21
52. Aaron Hott Hampshire 20:22
53. Pat Lloyd Wheeling Park 20:24
54. John Burke Wheeling Park 20:26
55. Anthony Perry Cabell Midland 20:26
56. David Deitz Hampshire 20:27
57. J.D. Kimble Parkersburg 20:27
58. Josh Barker North Marion 20:29
59. Shawn Rhoades North Marion 20:32
60. Adam Miller Fairmont Senior 20:44
61. Bobby McDonough Fairmont Senior 20:50
62. Jamie Lofiego Cabell Midland 20:54
63. Matt Gayda Wheeling Park 20:55
64. Jamal Hollins Capital 20:56
65. Jamie Wiseman George Washington 21:03
66. Drew Spiker Ripley 21:06
67. Alex Razzook Hampshire 21:11
68. David Colbert Hampshire 21:39
69. Jess Arcure North Marion 21:51
70. Lindsey Roberts Ripley 22:13
71. Matt Mahaney Capital 22:15
72. Eric Humphrey Parkersburg 22:30
73. Daron Hall Ripley 22:54
74. Kenny Spears Ripley 23:42
A-AA Girls
After a break that seemed to take forever, the A-AA girls
stepped up to the starting line. As the runners emerged from
the woods to climb the hill, it was Fayetteville's star
freshman Jessica Taylor leading the pack. She was followed
closely by Cameron's Missy Wood and East Hardy's Jessica Tusing.
Positions were shifted mightily during the next mile, but the
two front-runners remained the same. Jessica Taylor came off
the hill with a commanding lead. Barring a complete collapse, the
race was hers to lose. Missy Wood held onto second at this point,
closely trailed by Amy Shrewsbury of Pikeview, Ashley Shepler of
Charleston Catholic, and Melinda Moran of Doddridge. Another mile
found the ladies exiting the water for the last time (except for
those big puddles in the finishing chute). Taylor had the race
wrapped up at this point in what turned out to be the most
dominating finish of the day. Shrewsbury had worked her way
into second place, and Shepler had fought her way into third.
Wood had fallen into sixth place at this point, dropping behind
Moran and Tusing.
Finish line observers cheered Fayetteville's Jessica Taylor as
she crossed the finish line a full 52 seconds ahead of her next
closest competitor, Pikeview's Amy Shrewsbury. Ashley Shepler of
Charleston Catholic came across the line in third. Cameron's Missy
Wood kicked her way back into fourth place, making her a
4-time All-State performer. Melinda Moran of Doddridge finished
fifth joining Wood as a 4-time All-State team member. East
Hardy's Jessica Tusing finished sixth. Jill O'Neil of Magnolia
came across seventh, followed by the freshman tandem of Kristen
Daugherty of Williamstown and Missy Spangler of Ritchie County.
Danielle Smith of Berkeley Springs completed the 1997 All-State
Squad.
The girls team title was won by Williamstown, who finished
15 points ahead of the second place team. The next three teams
finished very close together as only 8 points marked the difference
between second place Charleston Catholic, third place Keyser, and
fourth place Magnolia.
How did RUNWV do with our predictions? Well, we correctly
picked the champion, third place, and fifth place. However, our
second and fourth place teams were backwards. Individually, we did
quite well, with 12 of our top 15 finishing in the top 15, and 4 of
our top 5 in the top 5. Now for the full results.
A-AA Girls Team Results
1. Williamstown 46
2. Charleston Catholic 61
3. Keyser 67
4. Magnolia 69
5. Fayetteville 99
A-AA Girls Individual Results
1. Jessica Taylor Fayetteville 21:48
2. Amy Shrewsbury Pikeview 22:40
3. Ashley Shepler Charleston Catholic 22:57
4. Missy Wood Cameron 23:05
5. Melinda Moran Doddridge 23:08
6. Jessica Tusing East Hardy 23:10
7. Jill O'Neil Magnolia 23:15
8. Kristin Daugherty Williamstown 23:17
9. Missy Spangler Ritchie 23:29
10. Danielle Smith Berkeley Springs 23:38
11. Kayla Lester Winfield 23:45
12. Amy Lilly Pikeview 24:03
13. Katherine Kapo Charleston Catholic 24:04
14. Corrie Green Keyser 24:07
15. Kelly Oldaker Williamstown 24:25
16. Kristen Hetzel Wheeling Central 24:42
17. Tisha Brown Keyser 24:43
18. Sally Holtgrewe Williamstown 24:45
19. Amy Toney Midland Trail 24:49
20. Karla Smicker Williamstown 25:00
21. Charity Pefferman Magnolia 25:15
22. Samantha Worley Keyser 25:16
23. Emily Moffatt Charleston Catholic 25:16
24. Laurie Ferguson Magnolia 25:17
25. Jessica Fisher Poca 25:21
26. Stacy Lewis Keyser 25:26
27. Brett Plott Williamstown 25:32
28. Amanda Morland Frankfort 25:35
29. Martha Drinkard Scott 25:48
30. Sarah Johnson Fayetteville 25:54
31. Emily Johnson Fayetteville 25:59
32. Vickie Plaska Charleston Catholic 26:09
33. Lauren Jones Magnolia 26:19
34. Denise Phillips Magnolia 26:23
35. Leah McDonald Charleston Catholic 26:23
36. Lori Zeppuhar Magnolia 26:24
37. Rana Rokles Magnolia 26:34
38. Jenny Foley Williamstown 26:36
39. Amber Alt Keyser 26:56
40. Courtney Avers Keyser 27:03
41. Cindy Jones Doddridge 27:36
42. Jamie Bowles Charleston Catholic 27:48
43. Melissa Sherwood Keyser 28:41
44. Anne McConnell Charleston Catholic 28:57
45. Jessica Howard Fayetteville 29:58
46. Bobbie Bess Fayetteville 30:53
47. Sarah Aritt Fayetteville 34:25
48. Courtney Slockett Fayetteville 35:00
A-AA Boys
The A-AA boys race was the cap to the afternoon of racing.
As the runners approached the bottom of the hill, undefeated
Gary Young of Winfield (who was too ill to run at the regional
meet) had a very narrow lead over Nathan Gates of Frankfort,
Josh Watson of Magnolia, teammate Nick Husson, and Sissonville's
Jody Morgan. The pack spread out a bit during the next mile, and
when they came down the hill, Young and Watson were running
together with no one else around. Husson was running third, and
Duane Williams of Doddridge had climbed into fourth. As the pack
of runners left the creek for the final time with only that
seemingly endless loop to cover until the finish, Young and
Watson were still together, meaning another kick to the finish was
likely. The next four runners were well behind, but packed
together. Williams, Husson, Gates, and Doddridge's Rob Casteel
would duel to the finish.
The final sprint to the finish never materialized as Magnolia's
Josh Watson pulled away from Winfield's Gary Young over the last
half mile to win with a seven second advantage. The victory made
Watson a repeat state champion with a chance to three-peat next
year. Winfield filled out two of the top three spots when Nick Husson
outkicked Doddridge's Rob Casteel after passing the caboose. Duane
Williams provided Doddridge with back-to-back finishers with his fifth
place effort. Nathan Gates of Frankfort came across in sixth. Shaun
Spielman of Berkeley Springs finished seventh. Doddridge's Denny Hayes
finished as the top placing freshman with his eighth place finish.
Defending runner-up Rob Alee of Frankfort finished ninth, and Derek
Dailey of Doddridge rounded out the All-State Team.
The team event was never in doubt as Doddridge had run with and
beaten such teams as Fairmont Senior and George Washington throughout
the season. They also placed their first five runner in the top 15.
The places that followed were very much in doubt, though. Frankfort
narrowly edged St. Mary's for second with Winfield not far behind
either in fourth.
This race was easily the pride of RUNWV's prediction page. The
team scores went exactly as planned with the small exception of sixth
and seventh place being swapped. In the individual event, our top 7
finished in the top 7. Nine of our top 10 finished in the top 10...
and we were pretty close on the order as well. Now for the full
results.
A-AA Boys Team Results
1. Doddridge 39
2. Frankfort 78
3. St. Mary's 80
4. Winfield 89
5. Magnolia 128
6. Charleston Catholic 129
7. Pikeview 170
8. Midland Trail 202
A-AA Boys Individual Results
1. Josh Watson Magnolia 17:55
2. Gary Young Winfield 18:02
3. Nick Husson Winfield 18:41
4. Rob Casteel Doddridge 18:44
5. Duane Williams Doddridge 18:51
6. Nathan Gates Frankfort 18:58
7. Shaun Spielman Berkeley Springs 19:18
8. Denny Hayes Doddridge 19:22
9. Rob Alee Frankfort 19:29
10. Derek Dailey Doddridge 19:29
11. Dustin Wilson St. Mary's 19:42
12. Michael Powell St. Mary's 19:44
13. Steven Nutter St. Mary's 19:49
14. Justin Ricks Winfield 19:54
15. John Montoya Doddridge 19:55
16. Nate Joy Williamstown 20:06
17. Aaron Phillips Pikeview 20:08
18. Chris Taylor Charleston Catholic 20:08
19. Aaron Weisenmiller Frankfort 20:15
20. Chris Mitchell Doddridge 20:19
21. West Garrett East Hardy 20:20
22. Jody Morgan Sissonville 20:28
23. Ryan Gero Scott 20:30
24. Chris Wilson Midland Trail 20:33
25. Daniel Raper St. Mary's 20:34
26. Randy Sheets Doddridge 20:40
27. J.R. Ohler Frankfort 20:43
28. Josh Stillwagoner Magnolia 20:45
29. Ben Pealer Keyser 20:49
30. Cody Corliss Magnolia 20:49
31. Jerry Neely Cameron 20:52
32. Justin McGuire Frankfort 20:56
33. Mike Kane Charleston Catholic 20:58
34. Matt Rafeld St. Marys 21:02
35. Michael Bowman Liberty (Raleigh) 21:03
36. Zach Warren Charleston Catholic 21:05
37. Justin Zuccolotto Weir 21:07
38. Matt Feinberg Charleston Catholic 21:13
39. Chris Wiley Charleston Catholic 21:17
40. Jason Lysne Frankfort 21:22
41. Dan Sneed Frankfort 21:25
42. Jesse Meadows Pikeview 21:26
43. Timmy Bowman Liberty (Raleigh) 21:30
44. Derek Keeling Winfield 21:31
45. Tim Campbell Magnolia 21:34
46. Michael Newman Midland Trail 21:38
47. Derek Miles Winfield 21:49
48. Chris Grace Charleston Catholic 22:08
49. Greg Bell Pikeview 22:15
50. John Skaggs Charleston Catholic 22:17
51. Marc Moshier Pikeview 22:17
52. Robbie Akers Pikeview 22:29
53. Will Moore Pikeview 22:32
54. Ryan Plumley Winfield 22:45
55. Chris Crawford Magnolia 22:54
56. Josh Gray Midland Trail 23:08
57. Dustin Smith Midland Trail 23:13
58. Hector Gomez St. Mary's 23:33
59. Ernie Rumery Pikeview 23:39
60. Chad Phares Winfield 24:11
61. Adam Leasure Magnolia 24:29
62. Leroy Cross Magnolia 24:44
63. Tom Wehmeyer St. Mary's 25:58
64. Wesley Smith Midland Trail 26:43
We have a few parting comments for the State Meet as this
cross country season comes to a close. We would like to thank
all the coaches, athletes, and fans who have visited this site,
and we would like to remind you that we will have pages for
Road Racing and Track and Field. For those of you who aren't
interested in those sports, we'll see you next year.