GW’s Matthew Brafford Runs US#5 at Chick-Fil-A Invitational
MEET STORY BY MIKE McMILLION
George Washington’s Matthew Brafford blazed his way to a US#5 clocking Saturday in Mineral Wells.
The senior finished first in the big school race at the Chick-Fil-A Invitational, posting a time of 15 minutes, 17.4 seconds on the 5,000-meter course. Junior Tanner Harding of Caldwell (OH) finished 59 seconds back.
"I really felt good," Brafford said after his race. "The conditions were just right. I knew if I was going to get the course record I had to get out to a quick start.”
Brafford, in fact, tied Wesley Smith of Hudson, Ohio, for the overall course record and bettered the West Virginia course record by Justin Simpson of Oak Glen by three seconds. Smith and Simpson set those records in 2002, the same year that both Smith and Simpson qualified for Foot Locker Nationals at Balboa Park in San Diego. Smith was the runner-up to former U.S. 10,000-meter record holder Chris Solinski, while Simpson placed 22nd.
“My plan was to try and run 15:10, that way I would have about seven seconds to play with,” Brafford said. “I came through the mile in about 4:43 and the two mile in 9:33. At that point I pretty much tried to hold it there.
“When I rounded the last turn, I heard the announcer say that the record was going to be close and really had to kick the last 200 meters to finish. As I crossed the line, I heard the crowd gasp. I gave it all I had, thinking that I just came up short."
At season’s end, Brafford could become just the sixth boy from West Virginia to qualify for the Foot Locker Nationals. Steve Taylor of St. Marys did it in 1981 and 1982, while Brian Redman of Keyser also qualified in 1982. Mikey Cox of Athens qualified in 1994, while Oak Glen’s Simpson (2002) and Morgantown’s Cody Pelliccioni (2010) are the most recent to race in the national event.
Colin Radabaugh of Preston was third Saturday in 16:51, while Winfield’s RJ Weiford placed fourth in 16:53 and Nic Cheuvront of Parkersburg fifth in 16:53. The rest of the top 10 included Capital’s Marshall Sharp (17:11), Winfield’s Braxton McMillion (17:14), Parkersburg’s John Bolton (17:17), teammate Logan Wooten (17:22) and Ripley’s Jake Casto (17:29).
The course was ran entirely on grass and was a combination of gently rolling hills and flat areas that provided for some very fast times.
There were 13 full teams and 154 runners in the AAA boys’ race, with Parkersburg just edging Winfield, 53-65, to take team honors. Hampshire placed third with 120 points followed by Caldwell (138), Ripley (143), Preston (162), Capital (163), John Marshall (193), George Washington (205) and Parkersburg South (276).
Brafford will next compete at the Knights Crossing XC Invitational this Saturday at Green Hill Park in Salem, Va. He will face the current US#1 runner, Ian Midler of Mount Tabor, N.C., and Morristown-West (Tenn.)’s Quintin McKinnish, who finished 13th at last year’s Foot Locker Nationals.
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09/03 |
Calhoun Invitational R
Calhoun County
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Mt. Zion, WV |
| 09/03 |
Coaches Classic Invitational R
Gallia Academy
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Gallipolis, OH |
| 09/03 |
Independence Invitational
Independence Senior
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Coal City, WV |
| 09/03 |
Stormin' the Castle R
Tyler Consolidated
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Sistersville, WV |
| 09/04 |
Keyser, Tucker County, Hyndman Tri Meet R
Keyser
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Keyser, WV |
| 09/07 |
10th Annual Red, White & Blue Classic
Baldwin
MEET STORY AND PHOTO BY PHIL GROVE
There was no avoiding this confrontation, not that either side was interested in that. To pick up another Red, White & Blue Classic team title, Morgantown had to go up, over or through Mt. Lebanon, and the two teams were lined up almost side by side at the start.
“They’re a great team, we knew that coming in here,” Morgantown coach Mike Ryan said of the Blue Devils. “Their top three we saw them in track, they had great track seasons. It was going to be a tough race for us. “We needed to run as a group. Unfortunately, we had some sicknesses, and it hasn’t been the easiest start this year for us as a team. Hats off to them, a 27-point victory over us, they had a great race as a group.” Mt. Lebanon, which entered the weekend as Pennsylvania’s third-ranked Class AAA team, was focused on ending the Mohigans’ event win streak. With sophomore Kelsey Potts setting a course record of 17:47 for the overall win, the Blue Devils were well on their way. “It was great for us,” Mt. Lebanon coach Ron Schreiner said of the team victory. “We talked about Morgantown this week, and we knew they were going to be here along with North Allegheny and so many outstanding individual runners as well. We had a great summer. We had a quiet confidence coming in here, but we were very focused. “When we lined up, Morgantown was right next to us. Our girls took a good look at that uniform, and we had talked about it. I guarantee you it came up this week.” Senior Sydney Pineault led Morgantown in 10th overall at 19:06, while classmate Allison Lynch was 18th in 19:23, junior Victoria Cooke placed 21st in 19:25 and sophomores Hannah Pineault (19:32) and Skylar Brooks (19:54) were 27th and 44th overall, respectively. “We returned six of our top 7, but we lost our No. 1,” Ryan said. “That’s a new realm now. We don’t have that for sure No. 1 (in WVU’s Brynn Harshbarger). We can change (No. 1) from week to week depending on who’s feeling well and who’s feeling good. “This is a good place for us to start. We know we have some work to do, but we’re where we need to be.” Hurricane was seventh with 306, while Wheeling Park placed 49th in the field of 55 teams. Freshman Anna Gordon led the Redskins with a 30th-place time of 19:35, while junior Joie Johnston was close behind in 33rd at 19:45 in the field of 473 finishers.
In the boys’ race, Morgantown was 20th, followed close behind by Wheeling Park (22nd) and Hurricane (25th). Senior Albert Schrimp of Wheeling Park was the top Mountain State finisher in 34th out of a field of 500 finishers in 16:46, while sophomore Conor Riley (71st, 17:14) led the Mohigans and junior Jacob Harmon (54th, 16:59) topped Hurricane.
Flash Summary by Phil Grove: Morgantown’s winning streak came to an end at the Red, White & Blue Classic in Pittsburgh as the Mohigans were second to annual rival Mt. Lebanon (Pa.) in the girls’ varsity race. Mt. Lebanon had 92 points to 119 for Mike Ryan’s team, reversing the results of the past two meetings in Schenley Park. Senior Sydney Pineault led Morgantown in 10th overall at 19:06, while classmate Allison Lynch was 18th in 19:23, junior Victoria Cooke placed 21st in 19:25 and sophomores Hannah Pineault (19:32) and Skylar Brooks (19:54) were 27th and 43rd overall, respectively. Hurricane was seventh with 306, while Wheeling Park placed 49th in the field of 55 teams. Freshman Anna Gordon led the Redskins with a 30th-place time of 19:35. In the boys’ race, Morgantown was 20th, followed close behind by Wheeling Park in 22nd and Hurricane in 25th. Senior Albert Schrimp of Wheeling Park was the top Mountain State finisher in 34th out of a field of 500 finishers in 16:46. |
Pittsburgh, PA |
| 09/07 |
Ben Queen Photography-Indian Run Invitational
Bridgeport Senior
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Bridgeport, WV |
| 09/07 |
Brunswick Invitational
Brunswick High School
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Brunswick, Md |
| 09/07 |
Chick-Fil-A Invitational
Parkersburg
Flash Summary: Matthew Brafford of George Washington defended his AAA event title and tied a course record in the process. His 15:17.4 matched the effort from 2002 by Hudson (Ohio)’s Wesley Smith, a runner-up in the 2002 Foot Locker Nationals. Brafford was almost a minute ahead of the runner-up in the field of 154 runners. In the boys’ team standings, Parkersburg was on top with 53 point to Winfield’s 65. Nic Cheuvront paced the champions in fifth at 16:53. Capital sophomore Peyton Panger claimed her second invitational title in as many weekends, clocking 18:47.4 to the 19:26.4 for Kaitlyn Workman of Preston in AAA. The top six bettered 20 minutes over the 5,000-meter layout. In the team race, Winfield collected the girls’ title with 56 points, while Hampshire was second with 90. Brittney McMillion led the way for the Generals with a fifth-place finish in 19:33.5, while Hampshire's Ashley Martin was next at 19:41.5. In AA-A girls, Grafton's Alicia Parsons topped Oak Glen’s Kelsey Chambers for her first varsity invitational win. The freshman reached the finish in 19:49.5 to the 19:56.2 by Chambers. The team battle was just as tight as Williamstown slipped past Ravenswood, 100-109. Ravenswood had three in the top 15 and ahead of Williamstown's second runner, but the Yellow Jackets claimed the title as Nos. 3-5 were separated by just 48 seconds. Johnny Hogue of Ritchie County won a tight battle in the AA-A boys. Hogue covered the distance in 16:23.9 as the top five placers were separated by only 22 seconds. Fairmont Senior claimed the team title with 99 points to Williamstown's 148. The champions had four in the top 26. |
Mineral Wells, WV |
| 09/07 |
Great Meadow Invitational
Mountain View
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The Plains, VA |
| 09/07 |
 PTXC 5 - Presented by New Balance
MEET STORY BY ROLLIE JACOBS The Jefferson Cougars traveled far from their home range on Saturday to compete at one of Pennsylvania’s top meets, PTXC 5, at Kutztown University. Annually attracting some of the top teams and runners from the Mid-Atlantic region, this year’s invitational featured teams and runners – including several nationally ranked – from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and for the first time in meet history, West Virginia, represented by Jefferson. It was a perfect morning with a clear blue sky and cool temperatures on the excellent Kutztown University Farm Course. In the top ranked boys’ Varsity Gold race, Jefferson’s Jackson Jacobs led the field off the line, but it was teammate Andrew Milliron who pushed the leaders throughout the race. Milliron settled in behind eventual winner Dominic Deluca of Dallas before sprinting home for a third-place finish in 15:51.1. Deluca established a new course record with a time of 15:43.0 followed by Lower Dauphin’s Jeff Groh (15:48.9). Jefferson’s Jacobs pushed the pace early and raced home to join Milliron on the medal stand in 19th with a time of 16:41.7. Jefferson’s scoring was rounded out by Rhett Zillinger (17:34.0), followed by freshmen Colin Hayes (18:22.1) and Dylan Stamper (19:16.5). Lower Dauphin placed four runners in the top 15 to seize the team title with 77 points, followed closely by Severna Park of Maryland (92). Led by Lower Dauphin‘s four medal winners, Jefferson was one of three teams in the 24-team field to place two runners in the medal count. In the girls’ Varsity Gold race, sophomore Abby Colbert again led the way for the Cougars. Colbert started strong but was overtaken by the leaders after the early push. She led her up-and-coming Cougar girls’ squad across the line in 20:01.3 in 29th. Kennedy Weisner of Elk County Catholic finished in a blazing 17:48.98, setting a course record in the process. She was followed by Saucon Valley’s Elizabeth Chikotas (18:03.40) and Cumberland Valley’s Mady Clahane (18:09.57). Emma Lindberg was the next Cougar runner to cross the line, running a strong 21:03.41 to finish 64th. Malika Briggs (21:52.92), Nathalie Walker (22:59.49) and Lucia Valentine (24:00.76) rounded out the scoring for the Jefferson girls. Pennsbury took the team title with 84 points, followed by Central Bucks West with 158. Overall, it was a solid performance and excellent experience for the Jefferson teams. With some key runners out temporarily with injury, notably Anya Wallace for the girls, and some new runners to integrate into the teams especially on the boys’ side, Jefferson is looking for steady improvement throughout the year. Jefferson Coach Suzy Munnis is certainly working them in that direction.
Flash Summary: Andrew Milliron led a strong showing by Jefferson at the PTXC 5 invitational at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. Milliron was third in the Gold race, clocking 15:51.1 as Dominic Deluca of Dallas ran a course record 15:43 to win. Jefferson teammate Jackson Jacobs was 19th in 16:41.7 as the Cougars finished 12th in the field of 24 teams. |
Kutztown, PA |
| 09/07 |
Run By The River
Fairland
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Proctorville, OH |
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A championship at Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park was not to be for the Mohigans in 2013, however, as Mt. Lebanon had the individual champion and two more in the overall top 10 to finish with 92 points. The Mohigans were second with 119.
