Photo by Marsha Maier
The stage is now set for runners and teams to compete at the West Virginia state cross country championships, as regional championships concluded across the Mountain State on Thursday.
The state championships will be held at Cabell Midland in Ona on Nov. 2, with races beginning at 10 a.m.
Regional Results:
| 10/24 | WV Group AA-A Region I | Bridgeport, WV | ||
| 10/24 | WV Group AA-A Region II | Elkins, WV | ||
| 10/24 | WV Group AA-A Region III | Clear Fork, WV | ||
| 10/24 | WV Group AA-A Region IV | Ripley, WV | ||
| 10/24 | WV Group AAA Region I | Morgantown, WV | ||
| 10/24 | WV Group AAA Region II | Romney, WV | ||
| 10/24 | WV Group AAA Region III | Beckley, WV | ||
| 10/24 | WV Group AAA Region IV | Ripley, WV |
Below is a recap by region of Thursday's action.
Boys Class AAA team qualifiers:
Region 1: Morgantown, University, Preston
Region 2: Hampshire, Jefferson, Musselman
Region 3: George Washington, Woodrow Wilson, Riverside
Region 4: Cabell Midland, Hurricane, Parkersburg South
Girls Class AAA team qualifiers:
Region 1: Morgantown, University, Preston
Region 2: Hampshire, Musselman, Spring Mills
Region 3: Woodrow Wilson, George Washington
Region 4: Hurricane, Cabell Midland, Parkersburg
Boys Class AA team qualifiers:
Region 1: Fairmont Senior, Frankfort, East Fairmont, Grafton
Region 2: Bridgeport, Elkins
Region 3: Shady Spring, Nicholas County, PikeView, Wyoming East
Region 4: Winfield, Wayne
Girls Class AA team qualifiers:
Region 1: Fairmont Senior, Grafton, East Fairmont
Region 2: Bridgeport, Elkins
Region 3: PikeView, Herbert Hoover, Clay County
Region 4: Winfield, Wayne
Boys Class A team qualifiers:
Region 1: Ritchie County, Tyler Consolidated, St. Marys
Region 2: Doddridge County, Clay-Battelle
Region 3: Charleston Catholic, Webster County
Region 4: Ravenswood, Williamstown, Wirt County
Girls Class A team qualifiers:
Region 1: St. Marys, Tyler Consolidated
Region 2: Doddridge County, Tucker County
Region 3: Charleston Catholic
Region 4: Williamstown, Buffalo
Region I
Class A-AA
Ethan Kincell led a one-two-three sweep of the podium, as defending Class AA state champion Fairmont Senior claimed the boys team championship. The Fairmont Senior girls also captured the regional title, with four runners in the top 11.
In addition to Kincell, Polar Bears Logan Zuchelli and Tyler Hayes joined him atop the podium.
Frankfort's Garrett Ferguson, a freshman, finished fourth to lead the runner-up squad.
Defending Class A state champion Ritchie County placed third overall, but the first A school.
On the girls side, East Fairmont junior Erykah Christopher defended her regional title. Fairmont Senior runners Carlina Jacquez and Lydia Falkenstein finished two-three to lead the Polar Bears.
The Fairmont girls won the meet by 41 points ahead of St. Marys, the top Class A finisher.
Class AAA
With a dominating performance, Lea Hatcher led a trio of Morgantown girls to the team victory.
Hatcher, a sophomore, finished in 17:32.1, more than 30 seconds ahead of runner-up and teammate Irene Riggs, a freshman. Morgantown senior Athena Young placed third.
With the Mohigan trio leading the way, Morgantown bested runner-up University by 13 points. Zoe Shetty and Caroline Kirby led the Hawks, with a four-five finish. Preston placed third in team standings.
For the boys, sophomore Josh Edwards, the 2018 state runner-up, captured the individual win in 15:53.66, the lone runner to break 16 minutes.
Morgantown, University and Preston County each posted three runners among the top 10 boys, but the Mohigans won, with an 11-point cushion on the Hawks, with Preston in third.
In a repeat of last season, Edwards claimed the regional championship ahead of runner-up Jackson Core, a Morgantown senior.
Region II
Class A-AA
Bridgeport won both the boys and girls team championships, with sophomore Emerson Grafton adding an individual title.
Bridgeport dominated the boys race, with five runners among the top nine finishers en route to a decisive victory. Grafton won the girls race with a time of 22:57.84, as the Indians edged Elkins by eight points.
In the boys race, the Indians finished with 22 points, with second-place Doddridge County with 54 points.
For the second year in a row, Bridgeport's Jackson Jacobs finished second to lead Bridgeport.
Doddridge County junior Carter Lipscomb defended his regional title with a winning time of 18:22.26.
Class AAA
Hampshire swept the boys and girls titles on its home course, with junior Christopher Lucas claiming the individual championship, too. With the wins, both the boys and girls squads successfully defended their regional titles from last season.
Lucas won the boys race, with a time of 17:30.40, to repeat as overall regional winner, as Hampshire edged Jefferson by two points for the team victory, and Musselman placed third. In addition to Lucas, Hampshire's Andrew Dorsey finished third. Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference champion Nate Schneider, of Spring Mills, finished second.
For the Hampshire girls, Danielle Davis, Maggie Odom and Alex Kile finished three-four-five in succession to lead Hampshire to a 20-point victory over Musselman. Spring Mills finished third.
Washington freshman Kathleen McGivern won in 21:54.54, besting Gray, the EPAC champion by 17 seconds. EPAC runner-up Dakota Johnson, of Hedgesville, did not list among the regional finishers.
Region III
Class A-AA
PikeView junior Erin O'Sullivan defended her title with more than a minute cushion to win the girls individual championship, while runner-up Aubrie Custer paced Charleston Catholic to the team victory.
O'Sullivan won with a time of 19:05.46, with Custer crossing in 20:08.58. The Irish finished with 34 points to PikeView's 57.
In the boys race, Nicholas County's Preston Prather took victory, but Shady Spring edged the Grizzlies by five points for the team win. Prather finished in 17:25.02. Freshman Jaeden Holstein led the Tigers with an eighth-place finish.
Class AAA
Riverside runners Trevor Carson and Trenton Green placed one-two, but the Warriors finished third in team standings.
Carson captured the win in 16:47.84, with Green 23 seconds later. Maverick Thaxton and Nadeem Jones paced team winner George Washington, as Riverside and Woodrow Wilson tied for second. The Flying Eagles claimed second outright with the sixth-runner tiebreaker.
Woodrow Wilson's Jonah Stevens ranked as the top returning finisher from last year's regional championship, but he was not listed among finishers at this year's event.
In the girls race, Charlotte McGinnis and Collette Lindley finished one-two to lead Woodrow Wilson to the team win. McGinnis won with a time of 20:40.83.
For team standings, George Washington finished second. Freshman Kara Edstrom led the Patriots with her third-place finish.
Region IV
Class A-AA
Reigning Class AA boys state champion Winfield dominated the field, with five runners among the top eight finishers, including overall winner Matthew Scheneberg.
Scheneberg, who finished fourth at last year's regional meet, won with a time of 17:10.21.
The Generals won the meet with 23 points, as runner-up Ravenswood totaled 87 points.
On the girls side, Williamstown junior Ella Hesson won individually to lead the defending Class A state champ Yellowjackets to the team victory, edging defending Class AA champion Winfield by two points.
Hesson finished in 20:28.49, finishing 18 seconds ahead of runner-up Rachel Withrow, a Winfield freshman.
Class AAA
Hanshaw edged Cabell Midland's Cooper Gibson and Sam LeRose at the conference championship, and both are expected to challenge Hanshaw again.
Midland will look to defend its state title by first capturing the regional championship. Hurricane and Parkersburg South are expected to also make the podium in team standings.
After sitting out the Mountain State Athletic Conference championships, Parkersburg's Madison Trippett returned to capture the regional title.
Trippett, the defending state champion, won with a time of 19:50.82, winning by more than 25 seconds. For Trippett, it marked a return to racing after missing the MSAC event with a stress reaction.
Hurricane's Audrey Hall and Asha Bora finished two-three to lead the Redskins to the team victory, while MSAC champion Emma Jenkins placed fourth to lead Cabell Midland to second. Parkersburg finished third.
Ripley placed fourth in team standings without standout Tori Starcher, the reigning West Virginia Gatorade Runner of the Year, who was diagnosed with a stress reaction in her left tibia earlier this season.
Hurricane senior Wyatt Hanshaw followed his MSAC win with a regional victory in 16:30.90, while defending state champion Cabell Midland took the team victory.
Sophomore Cooper Gibson placed second to lead the Knights, who posted five runners among the top 12. Hurricane placed second, with Parkersburg South third.