Skip to content
The Archive of The Carrboro Citizen
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Community
  • Schools
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Obituaries
  • Sports
  • Mill
  • Flora
  • Print Archive
  • About
Menu

Area cross country teams set to compete

Posted on September 3, 2009September 3, 2009 by Staff

By Beth Mechum
Staff Writer

Orange County has always been a place where runners flourish. There are a number of races (both road and trail), enough teams where anyone can find a place and even a local running celebrity – former Olympian Joan Nesbit Mabe.

It’s therefore fitting that there will be an Orange County Cross Country championship this year for the first time in over a decade.

Carrboro, Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill, Orange and Cedar Ridge all will be fighting for the title of best team in Orange County — a title that will come with a lot of clout.
Adding further to the excitement of the meet is the fact that many of the runners will have taken the SAT earlier that day.

“It will be a great way for the kids to let off steam and compete,” said Ron Olsen, Chapel Hill coach and event coordinator.

But before that event, and after, the teams will need to concentrate on their own seasons. Some big names have graduated, so the high school cross country landscape should look a little different this year.

Carrboro High School
Like the rest of the Carrboro sports teams, the first couple of years were a struggle for the cross country Jaguars, with a smaller and younger pool of athletes to work from than the rest of the area high schools. But in its third year, Carrboro is looking to finally set a tone in the Carolina 9 Conference.

“We have a lot of experienced runners now,” Coach Jay Crooker said. “Some of them have been with us for two years, and it really makes a big difference in terms of the amount of miles they can run over the summer, the experience level they come in with each season, and they pretty much know the courses we’re running.”

Crooker said that experience is especially helpful when it comes to the veteran players helping the younger kids get acclimated to the grueling cross country season.

Who’s gone: For the girls, Kristina Witcher was a standout runner for Carrboro last year, and her graduation will put a dent in Carrboro’s top times. For the boys, Ben Gregory’s graduation will also leave a hole that needs to be filled. Not only were those runners fast and consistent, they were unwavering leaders as part of CHS’s first graduating class.

Who’s here: She’s only a sophomore, but Laura Hamon is expected to step up and try to fill Witcher’s prodigious running shoes. For the boys, Elliot Pahel-Short and Jordan Thomas are two strong returning runners.

Expectations: Crooker said he expects both the boys and the girls teams to make the state championships, but it’s really still too early to tell until after the first month or so of running in a competitive setting.

Chapel Hill High School
Not many teams have the luxury of having a three-time state champion runner on the roster, and now the Tigers are no longer one of those teams.

The loss of Taylor Gilland, now running at Virginia, will surely be felt: Gilland was truly one of those once-in-a-lifetime type performers. But Coach Olsen said he still expects the team to be strong.

When asked which runners he thinks will step up and make a big impact this year, the list was
far too long to include.
That kind of attitude bodes well for the Chapel Hill boys and girls teams, who have already placed first and third, respectively, at their first meet of the season.

Who’s gone: In addition to Gilland graduating, Molly Spencer’s consistent top-tier scoring for the Tigers will be missed.

Who’s here: Standouts should include Lindsay Savelli and Meg Duffy for the girls and Kyle Villemain and Asher Colburn-Hertzberg for the boys.

Expectations: Though a long season lies ahead, it’s not going out on a limb to say the Tigers should be a force to be reckoned with in the playoff meets.

East Chapel Hill
East will be facing the challenge of improving on a stellar performance from last year.

Of course, coaches always try to downplay the good and accentuate the bad in trying to inspire the team to be better, but Coach Steve Marquis will have more trouble than most finding the bad in a girls team that won the 4A State Championship last year – not such a bad problem to have.

The boys will have to step it up to keep pace with the girls this year, and both teams won their first match against Jordan last week.

Who’s here: Carolyn Baskir is one of the top girls’ runners in the state, if not the top, and having her back as a senior will have an immeasurable effect on the Wildcats. For the boys, Sam Marks and Sam Miner are two of the team’s top runners.

Expectations: If Baskir stays healthy, there’s no reason to think she can’t perform at the same high level as last year, and both East teams will be looking to make a statement in the Orange County championship.

Web Archive

© 2025 The Archive of The Carrboro Citizen | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme