(Photo gallery by Teran Malone and Parker Armstrong)
ONA, W.Va. — West Virginia’s longest streak of WVSSAC state championships continued Saturday morning at Cabell Midland High School. University won their seventh consecutive boys cross country state title. The Hawks are the first Class AAAA winners. This was the first staging of a four-class state meet.
Micah Gainer (15:56.19) and Ethan Conroy (15:59.63) finished first and second, respectively, to pace the Hawks. Logan Conroy (16:15.78) also posted a top ten finish for UHS (7th).
Morgantown (67 points) finished as runners-up behind the Hawks (56 points). Cabell Midland (98 points), Jefferson (120 points) and Parkersburg (139 points) round out the top five.
Host Cabell Midland (45 points) won the Class AAAA girls championship. Morgantown (62 points), University (115 points), Hurricane (154 points) and Preston (167 points) completed the top five.
Wheeling Park’s Brenna Tipton (18:16.89) won the individual championship. Cabell Midland’s Savannah Pritt (18:41.87) finished as the runner-up.
Class A runners took to the course at CMHS in the second race of the day. The Charleston Catholic boys (44 points) had three finishers in the top five to win the championship. Peter Basdekis (16:54.78) and Will Barton (17:00.37) secured the top two spots for the Irish while Charlie Barton (17:22.66) was fifth. Trinity (58 points) claimed runner-up honors. St. Marys (85 points), Ritchie County (108 points) and Tucker County (110 points) completed the top five.
St. Marys (57 points) won the Class A girls title, 11 points ahead of Trinity (68 points). Charleston Catholic (73 points), Ritchie County (91 points) and Wirt County (93 points) finished third through fifth, respectively. CCHS’ Bella Boggs defended her individual championship, winning in a time of 19:55.40.
Doddridge County (60 points) placed five runners in the top 18 to win the Class AA boys competition. Lincoln (71 points) was the runner-up. Frankfort (90 points), Tyler Consolidated (123 points) and Williamstown (131 points) complete the top five. Tyler Consolidated’s Amos Kimble (16:32.76) won the individual championship while Frankfort’s Gavin McDonald (16:51.52) was the runner-up.
The Frankfort girls won a tight competition in Class AA. The Falcons (66 points) held off Braxton County (71 points) and Lincoln (71 points) to win the title. Buffalo (84 points) and Williamstown (114 points) completed the top five. Ravenswood’s Riley Sotomayer (20:15.14) crossed the line first and Lincoln’s Raley Cochran (20:21.39) was the runner-up.
Class AAA runners completed the day of competition. Elkins’ Trevor George (15:57.82) paced the Tigers (49 points) to the team championship. Bridgeport (87 points), Grafton (87 points), Fairmont Senior (143 points) and Winfield (143 points) complete the top five.
The Bridgeport (65 points) girls won their first team championship. All five of BHS’ scoring runners finished in the Top 20. Herbert Hoover’s Maysen Fletcher (18:16.36) defended her individual championship to help the Huskies (114 points) to a runner-up finish. Elkins (115 points), Greenbrier East (134 points) and Fairmont Senior (139 points) rounded out the top five.