Foley takes 4th at States!

The pinnacle of the VHSL cross country season is always the state championships, held at  Great Meadows, in The Plains, VA.  The 2009 Virginia AAA State Cross Country Championship was held yesterday, November 14th, on a course that had been softened by three days of rain, and made sloppy by the early races of the day. Chantilly was represented by Chris Foley, the 2009 Northern Regional Champion, who was seeking to improve upon his 11th place of a year ago, and gunning for his first state championship.

Over the past month,  the UVA-bound Foley has shown ever improving form, and he launched into the race strongly and patiently, running with the leaders through the mile mark in a split of 4:56. With as many as 20 men gathered together in the front, Foley shared the lead of the race in the 2nd mile, as the front group thinned to five contenders. The leaders went through the 2nd mile at 10:08, knowing that one of the five would be the ultimate victor.  At this point, the race had played completely to form, with several runners, including Foley, watching each other, and waiting to make a move that would ultimately win them the race.  The third mile included a hill of approximately 500m, a short downhill stretch, and a finishing straight of approximately 600m.  Foley remained with the leaders up the hill, and fought valiently as two runners got a slight gap on the downhill.  When the leaders hit the finishing straight, Foley found himself in a second group of three, as the front two had gotten a clear lead.  Fighting every step of the way to the finish, Chris earned a hard-fought 4th place, in 15:50, adding proof to the reputation that he has earned as one of the best distance runners in Virginia.

This has been a fantastic season for Chris Foley, as he has earned his place in CHS history amongst some it’s great distance runners, including state champions and school record holders Lance Muniz, Jimmy Colling, Eric Post and Brad Siragusa.  He earned only the 4th individual regional title, and did it in the 2nd fastest time at Burke Lake.  He is one of only six boys to earn all-state honors, and only two others (Colling and Siragusa) have done it twice.  His fourth place puts him behind Colling and Siragusa who have won state titles, and Post who was third.  Each of these three men earned trips to the Footlocker National Championships in San Diego, which has been Foley’s stated goal.  His next race of the season will be at the Footlocker Southern Regional Championships in Charlotte, NC on November 28th, where he hopes to place in the top 10 in the South, earning a ticket to San Diego and a berth in the National Championships, much as his predecessors have done.

Congratulations to Chris and thank you to all of t he teammates and supporters that made the trip out to The Plains to wish him well.

Complete results of the race (and of the season) can be found at: http://www.chargercctrack.com/ccresults.html.

Photos of the race from Tom Foley can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/CHSrunning

Chris Foley Crowned 2009 Northern Region Champion!

The 2009 cross country season has been a satisfying one thus far, with the team celebrating individual and collective successes along the way.  At the Northern Regional championships at Burke Lake, the team celebrated it’s biggest success, when senior co-captain Chris Foley won his first regional cross country crown.  After dealing with a mid-season muscle pull, and a close defeat at last week’s district meet, Foley now seems to be back on track for his stated goal of contending for an individual state championship.

Foley, who earlier this week made an oral commitment to run for the University of Virginia next year, won the race in exciting fashion.  Running stride for stride with the same Oakton runner who nipped him at district, Foley held his ground, leading the field through the two mile mark at 9:50. After dueling during the last mile, he took the lead for good going into the last 400m, and holding his one-stride lead to the finish line, breaking the tape at 14:59, becoming only the 28th runner in Northern Region history to break the 15:00 mark at the historical Burke Lake course, and only the second Charger to do so in school history.  His crown was only the fifth in Chantilly history, joining 1987 champion Lance Muniz, state champions Jimmy Colling (1992) and Brad Siragsua (2004), and state runner-up Lia DiValentin (2007). Foley will go into the state meet next Saturday, at Great Meadows as one of a handful favorites to win this year’s state championship crown.

The Chargers also turned in solid performances by the rest of their athletes.  Senior Rachel Grochowski finish in 26th position in her final race at Burke Lake, running as the lone female Charger.  For the boys, the team finished in a solid 8th place, with freshman Sean McGorty following up Foley’s effort with a 26th place of his own in his first regional meet.  Even though he does not advance to states, McGorty has sent notice this fall that he will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.  Seniors Matt Cumpian (16:16-35th) and Harold Dockins, Jr. (66th-16:46) earned career finishes for 3rd and 4th spots on the Chargers, with junior Samuel Tucker III rounding out the scoring with a personal best 16:55 of his own.

The Charger’s cross country season will conclude next Saturday, November 14t, at Great Meadows, The Plains, VA with the state championship.  The AAA Boys race will be run at 1:45 pm.

Full results for the race can be found at: http://www.chargercctrack.com/ccresults.html.

Photos from Tom Foley can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/CHSrunning.

 

 

Grochowski, Boys Team Earn Trips to Regionals

The Concorde District Cross Country Championship is always one of the most difficult meets in the state each year, and the Chargers make it their perennial goal to advance from it.  Following a season of promise which saw young runners progress as they gained more experience, strength and confidence, and veterans taking the next step towards team competitiveness, this year’s championships represented a solid result for the 2009 squad.

The meet was run under cloudy skies, with perfect temperatures, and the Chargers competed at the highest level this season.  The girls were led, as they have been all-season, by senior Rachel Grochowski. Grochowski, a top-6 finisher last year, earned a personal best 3rd place, racing with the leaders late into the race, and confirming her solid form, as she continues towards her goal of placing in the top 15 in the region, and advancing to her first state meet. While the girls finished in 6th place, with 119 points, they still ran successful races.  Sophomore Carolyn Carlson (21st- 19:54), junior Hannah Strub (24th- 20:03); freshman Elise Kinsey (34th), and junior Jenny Cohen(38th- 21:11)  each earned personal best times, ending their seasons on a positive note.

The boys team entered the meet determined to show the district and the region that they would be a post-season force.  For the first time this season, the boys team ran all together at full strength, and in so doing, placed 4th overall (78 points), and seeing 3 boys earn all-district honors for the first time since 1993.  Senior co-captain Chris Foley matched his 2nd place finish from last year, and demonstrated t hat he is progressing well from his mid-season injury which robbed him of 3 invitationals in September and October, running a solid 15:13.71.  Freshman Sean McGorty showed why he is Virginia’s top rated 9th grader, running in his first district race and finishing 8th place.  His finishing time of 15:59.9 was the first time by a non-senior in the district, and moves him up to 19th on the all-time Burke Lake list by Chantilly runners. Senior co-captain Matt Cumpian also enjoyed his best career race, as he ran to a solid 12th place finish, in a personal best 16:09.04. His All-District finish represented his first post-season medal.  The Chargers scoring was finished by junior Samuel Tucker III (16:57.24) and senior Harold Dockins, Jr. (17:03.33), who both ran personal best times.

The boys team and Grochowski have qualified for regional competition, where the top 15 individuals and top 4 teams will qualify for the state championships.  The regional meet will be held at Burke Lake on Thursday, November 5th, with the girls running at 3:15 pm, and the boys at 3:45 pm.

Complete results can be found at: http://www.chargercctrack.com/ccresults.html.

Cross Country Team Dinner- Tuesday, Oct. 27th- 5:30 pm

The team dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, 10/27 at 5:30 pm.  This is an important function, and all athletes are expected to attend. For those who are new to the team, this is for athletes only, and dress is casual…in the cafeteria. Each person is expected to provide something to share, according to your last name. Assignments are listed below:

-          Side Dish/Desserts-  Akhoundi- Dockins

-          Drinks (2 x 2” liter Bottles)-  Fraser- Labor-Koroma

-          Main Dish- Lenski- Zulick

Please make sure to bring your assignment, so that there is a balance between main dishes, side items & drinks. On Tuesday night, you will also receive your team shirts given out at the end of each season.  I also have a few spirit pack items which were never retrieved, as well as some team photos still.  If you are waiting on any of these, please see Coach G either in school on Monday or at night on Tuesday.

Cross Country Post-Season Roster

Congratulations to the following team members for being named to our postseason roster.  These 10 young men & women (7 varsity & 3 alternates) will represent us at the Concorde District Championships on Thursday 10/29 at Burke Lake Park.  The girls race is set to start at 4:15 pm, followed by the boys at 4:45 pm.  Our district will be following the Liberty District races.  In order to advance in the post season, our team must finish in the top 4 in the district, or anyone who places individually in the top 15. Regionals will be Thursday, 11/5…we expect to do quite well this week in our challenging district. Our roster includes:

-          Boys:

• Chris Foley (Sr)
• Sean McGorty (Fr)
• Matt Cumpian (Sr)
• Samuel Tucker III (Jr)
• Harold Dockins, Jr. (Sr)
• Scott Fraser (Jr)
• Cameron Young (Jr)
• Luke Ivers (Soph)- (Alt)
• Craig Lenski (Jr)- (Alt)
• Thomas Johnston (Sr)- (Alt)

-          Girls

• Rachel Grochowski (Sr)
• Carolyn Carlson (Soph)
• Hannah Strub (Jr)
• Megan Louis (Sr)
• Elise Kinsey (Fr)
• Jennie Cohen (Jr)
• Mallory Shipe  (Fr)
• Jennifer Loh (Fr)- (Alt)
• Connor Haggerty (Soph)- (Alt)
• Marin Shipe (Soph)- (Alt)

Foley, Cumpian & Grochowski Medal in Postseason Tuneup

On this past Saturday, October 17th, the Chargers were represented in their final invitational of the season, tuning up for the postseason at the Milestat Invitational in Chesterfield, VA.  Due to scheduling conflicts with makeup dates, only three senior harriers made the trip, but the journey paid rich dividends, with all three earning medals, and making sure that Chantilly made their presence known.

For Chris Foley, the Monroe Parker champion in September, this was his return to competition after his win at Burke Lake, having missed three meets while nursing an slight injury.  After earning kudos for his early season win and establishing himself as a state favorite, this weekend’s meet was supposed to be an opportunity to get a race in, and remove any rust which may have built up over the last month, with districts looming two weeks away.  Foley showed that he had not lost too much over the enforced layoff, with a strong 3rd place finish in a personal best time of 15:42.  Foley ran with strength and confidence, leading for much of the race, before fading a little bit in the last mile.  Despite the defeat, Foley showed that he still remains a force to be reckoned with, and that his postseason goals are still realistically within his reach.

Co-captain Matt Cumpian continued a strong season which has seen him zoom into the district picture, adding another weapon in the ever-growing Chantilly district championship team arsenal.  Cumpian ran his best race ever, and was rewarded with his first career varsity medal, with his 13th place finish.  Even more importantly, he ran a personal best 16:19.8  for the 5K, which places him solidly in the top 10 times in the district.  With each passing race, he has shown a strong sense of pace, patience, and confidence in his abilities.

Senior co-captain Rachel Grochowski also enjoyed a career day.  She ran 19:09 for a personal best, finishing in a solid 8th place.  As one of four girls with legitimate chances of winning the individual district title, Rachel rebounded well after a sub-par race the week before, showing strength and speed, and demonstrating that she is over the flu that had sapped her energy in weeks past.  With two weeks until the district race, she will enter the championship season with the confidence which comes from a solid regular season, and a record which has shown her consistently amongst the best runners from the Concorde District and Northern Region throughout the season.

The Chargers have two more regular season meets this week, on Monday at Burke Lake, and on Thursday at Lake Fairfax, before entering the post-season on Thursday, October 29th.

Full results for this meet can be found at: http://www.chargercctrack.com/ccresults.html.

Cumpian Makes Statement at Glory Days

 

With the weeks dwindling down in the regular season, teams are starting to look towards the district championship, and the post-season beyond it.  The Charger country team is no different, and competing in the 2009 Glory Days Grill Invitational, one of the goals of the team was to see the boys and girls continue to bring their times down and become a tighter unit, one to be respected in the impending post season.

The varsity boys have made it their seasonal goal to earn one of the prestigious top 4 team spots which will earn them a trip to regionals.  Throughout the season, they have known that they have one of the region’s best runners in Monroe Parker champion Chris Foley, and perhaps the state’s best freshman in Sean McGorty.  On Saturday, however, both were missing in action (Foley, who is getting over a slight injury, and McGorty, who had a conflict with his soccer team). Running without the team’s top two runners would be a tall order for most teams, but for senior co-captain Matt Cumpian, it was the opportunity he needed to establish himself as a strong runner himself, as he continues his push for berths in the regional and state meets individually.  Running against a top notch field, Cumpian showed poise, patience and strength as he moved up from 50th place at the 1 mile mark, to finish 16th, in a personal best 5K time of 16:24 in front of some much more decorated runners.  It was his best ever invitational placing, and it showed that he was on the right track to meet his individual and team goals.

The boys team ultimately finished 20th, right in the middle of the pack, and had strong runs from senior Harold Dockins, Jr., juniors Samuel Tucker III and Scott Fraser, and sophomore Luke Ivers.  All 5 ran personal best times. 

The boys JV team had the best team finish of the day, with their 3rd place overall.  They were led by junior Craig Lenski, who earned the sole medal of the day with his 12th place finish, and was joined by Patrick Chase (17th), Rex Aramburu (21st), Jac Brueneman (23rd)  and Jay Keagy (30th) in the scoring as all five runners earned lettering times and personal bests.

For the girls, the best races came from freshmen Jennifer Loh and Mallory Shipe, who ran 5K personal bests in the freshman girls race, both placing in the top 25 runners.  For the varsity girls, sophomore Carolyn Carlson (20:26) and junior Hannah Strub (20:44) had strong runs to offset a rare off day by captain Rachel Grochowski who struggled to a 22nd place finish, after having been sick for much of the week.

The Chargers compete next Thursday at Burke Lake Park in the 3rd and final regular season Concorde District League meet.  The meet will begin at 4 pm, and will include acknowledgement of the team’s seniors. Some Chargers will compete next Saturday at the Milestat Invitational in Richmond, leading into the de facto JV district championships on Thursday, October 22nd, in the Dobson Double Dual Invitational, ending the regular season.

Results can be found at:  http://www.chargercctrack.com/ccresults.html.

Mid-Season Roundup- Grochowski & McGorty Lead Chargers at Oatlands and Octoberfest

Over the last two weeks, the Chantilly Charger cross country team has competed in two of the most competitive invitationals in Virginia, at the hilly Oatlands course in Leesburg, and the Great Meadows course at this past weekend, at the site of November’s state championship meet. These mid-season meets have served to provide invaluable experience to both the boys and girls teams, who are starting to build a competitive identity as October has rolled around, and the post season is only a few short weeks away. With each passing meet, the Chargers have shown that they are adapting well to the pressures of being able to compete well in the Concorde District and Northern Region.

The girls team has been led each week by senior Rachel Grochowski, who continues to show signs of being a real district championship contender, and one of the top runners in the Northern Region. In the last two races, each with fields of over 200 runners, Rachel has placed 14th and 22nd respectively, and has gained confidence and respect with each passing meet. Sophomore newcomer Carolyn Carlson is also showing improvement as a solid #2 runner, and lending support to the notion that she too may be a contender for All-District honors. The girls team has also had consistent performances from junior co-captain Hannah Strub, senior Megan Louis, and is being joined by freshmen Elise Kinsey, Mallory Shipe and Jennifer Loh. While the Chargers may have one of the younger teams in the district, these rookies are showing that they can handle their varsity status, and will be able to contribute.

 

 

The boys team has a bit more experience, but also has high goals. In the the first invitational, they were led by senior captain, and state title contender, Chris Foley. Unfortunately, the Chargers have had to run without Foley for the last two weeks, as he nurses a slight injury in hopes of being at his best when the post season rolls around. This has forced some of the younger Chargers to step up to the challenge of running with VA’s best. With this in mind, Chantilly has found that it has one of the best young runners in Virginia, in freshman Sean McGorty. Only three races into his young career, McGorty has stepped up to the challenge of leading his team, and has shown veteran confidence in earning medals in each of his last two varsity invitationals, with a 23rd and 19th place finish respectively. His performances have made him a contender for a top 5 finish in the district, and will prove a real weapon in the team’s push for a regional berth. While the team remains excited about the potential 1-2 punch of Foley & McGorty, senior co-captain Matt Cumpian has also shown that he is a top 12 district talent in his own right, showing steady improvement over the last two weeks, and demonstrating that he will be an important piece of their post-season arsenal. The varsity team is also getting consistent contributions from senior Harold Dockins, Jr, and juniors Samuel Tucker III, Scott Fraser, and Cameron Young.

The Chargers will compete in their final invitational this upcoming Saturday, at the Glory Days Grill Invitational, held at the Bull Run Park, in Manassas Invitational. They will follow that with two weeks of training and one more tri-meet, before beginning the post –season.

Complete results for all recent meets can be found at: http://www.chargercctrack.com/ccresults.html

Tom Foley’s photo album can be located at: http://picasaweb.google.com/CHSrunning .

Winter Track Interest Meeting

Attention Prospective Winter Track & Field Athletes:

Please be aware that there will be a brief but important informational meeting for any athlete considering participating in Winter Track this year, on Monday, September 21st, at 2:30 pm in the cafeteria. We will discuss paperwork, off season condition, spirit packs, and important due dates. It is important for all interest parties to attend..we will do our best to finish no later than 2:50 pm.

Conditioning for Winter Track will begin Thursday, September 24th.

Please see Dr. Gilchrist in Room 217 and  refer to www.chargercctrack.com (Forms- Winter Track) if you cannot make this meeting.

Foley & McGorty Take Monroe Parker Wins

The Monroe Parker Invitational is traditionally seen as the official beginning of the Northern Region cross country season.  It is an opportunity for teams to see who has done their off season training, which teams have improved since last year, and for individuals to establish bragging rights over their closest regional rivals. With two individual victories and five medals won, the Chargers laid their claim towards another successful season in 2009.

The boys team created the most individual excitement, as we may be seeing the climax of one brilliant career along with the beginning of a new one. In the varsity boys race, senior co-captain Chris Foley sent a message to the region, if not the state of Virginia, that he has done his summer homework, and that he is going to be a runner to be reckoned with this fall. For the second year running, Foley took the victory, in a time of 15:03.29, a seventeen second personal best which is the second fastest in CHS history, behind only the 14:48 time of asst. coach and former All-American Eric Post (1996). Foley showed strength and confidence in blazing through the course with splits of 5:08 and 9:53 for the one and two mile marks respectively, before settling in for the 10 second victory over Yazid Zoumaia of Centreville.  With lofty goals which include contending for a state title and a trip to Footlocker Nationals in November, Foley demonstrated that his plans are on track.

The boys team finished 14th of the 26 scoring teams, but also received personal best efforts from senior co-captain Matt Cumpian (16:26- 25th), junior Samuel Tucker III (17:11), senior Jac Brueneman (18:07) and juniors Cameron Young (18:14) and Scott Fraser (18:19), who ran the last two miles despite losing one of his shoes.. Strong races, and qualifying for lettering times were also turned in by junior Jay Keagy and senior Rex Aramburu.

Earlier in the meet, in the freshman boys race, the Chargers may have seen their future, with the victory of newcomer Sean McGorty. His time of 16:45.3 was the fastest ever recorded in the history of the freshman division at Monroe Parker, and his 28 second victory bodes well for the future.  His time was the 3rd fastest of the day for the boys team, and as he continues to build experience and fitness, he should become a solid asset for the Chargers. Certainly, this victory should at least provide a glimpse into what the future may hold for the young harrier.

The girls certainly enjoyed their fair share of success on both the varsity and sub-varsity levels.  Senior co-captain Rachel Grochowski also laid her claim to being one of the regional best this fall with her solid 6th place finish (18:46.7). After a breakthrough season last fall, she will surprise no one this year, but has shown a growth in confidence, and will hopefully continue to work toward her goals of a high district and regional finish, en route to her first trip to the state meet.

The girls also saw strong runs from sophomore Carolyn Carlson (20:29), senior Megan Louis (20:49) and juniors Hannah Strub (20:59), Jennie Cohen (21:44) and Erin Horil (22:16).

The best team finish of the day came from the girls freshman team, who took 4th in the team standings.  They were led by two medalists, Mallory Shipe (7th- 20:57) and Elise Kinsey (10th-21:17), and joined by Jennifer Loh, Liz Cotter and Sarah Bernet.

Chantilly Cross Country competes on Wednesday, Sept. 16th at Barron Cameron Park, at 4 pm.

Full Results can be found at: http://www.chargercctrack.com/ccresults.html

Thank you to Tom Foley for his photos, found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/CHSrunning