2010 Cross Country Teams Show Promise in Lee Scrimmage

The 2010 Chantilly Cross Country team has started their season following a summer of training, with goals of living up to, if not exceeding the lofty standards set forth by previous teams. Despite losing veteran performers from the class of 2010 to the NCAA ranks, including All-State performer and regional champion Chris Foley, All-District runner Matt Cumpian, and two-time MVP Rachel Grochowski, this year’s squad boasts a blend of experience and youth, which promises to keep things exciting throughout this campaign, while also boding well for the upcoming years.

As has been the case for the past seven years, CHS opened up the season with their annual scrimmage against Lee HS. The race was held on the first two miles of the 2.98 mile Burke Lake course, on Friday, August 20th.  As is customary with Barry Mensh-coached teams, Lee boasts several runners who promise to be players on the regional stage, and provided a good measuring stick for the Chargers in their young season.

The boys demonstrated that while they have lost three of their top 4 from last year’s regional meet to graduation, they will still be competitive in the long term. Sophomore Sean McGorty, one of the top 12 returning runners in the Northern Region, is hoping to take the leap from a promising freshman, earning 8th place in last year’s district meet, to a district champion contender, and a top 10 finisher in the regional meet. His performance on Friday gave credence to the thought that he has matured over the past year, and ran strongly in his first race of the year. He covered the two mile course in 10:19, finishing second to Lee’s Abraham Yacob, a state meet qualifier last winter. This finish was over a minute improvement from last year’s time for McGorty, and shows that his training is on track for him to grow from being second fiddle on last year’s team, to being a real leader of this year’s squad.

The boys team earned an impressive 22-36 win over the Lancers, and McGorty had a lot of help in the team effort. Finishing in 3rd overall for the team was sophomore newcomer Logan Miller, with a time of 10:59. His performance this early on suggests that down the road, CHS may indeed be able to pack a decent 1-2 punch at the district meet, and prove a valuable asset to the Chargers. Following the two sophomores up front were senior co-captains Cameron Young (4th overall-11:08.9) and Samuel Tucker III (6th place-11:16.1). Senior Mohamed Labor-Koroma, Jr rounded out the scoring with his 7th place finish in 11:18.5, with fellow senior Scott Fraser just behind in 8th (11:20). The Chargers will need to rely upon this pack as they continue to mold their team into a strong post-season squad.

The girls also enjoyed a solid win, with a 24-35 margin of victory. Despite running without their top returner in senior Carolyn Carlson, the Chargers showed that they have a lot to be excited about, with a nice blend of freshman success, and improvement from their seniors. On this day, Chantilly welcomed two future varsity contributors in freshmen Megan Toole and Megan Rhoads, who led the team with their 2nd and 4th place finishes respectively. On a team that is also looking to fill some large shoes from last year’s 5th place district squad, Chantilly clearly has something to be happy about. Following closely behind the two newcomers were three seniors, all showing good early season form. Senior captain Hannah Strub took a solid 5th place (13:30.3), with Erin Horil (13:44.2) and co-captain Jennie Cohen (13:52.7) right behind in 6th & 7th places to complete the scoring. The Chargers also got a promising finish from sophomore newcomer Samantha Lull, who took a top 10 finish (8th-13:54.3).

The Chargers open their regular season on Saturday, September 11th, at Burke Lake Park, in the always prestigious Monroe Parker Invitational.

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