For 76 female athletes, Saturday’s WVSSAC Class AAA Cross Country Championship was a marquee event. For the seven members of the University girls’ cross country team, it was just another day at work.
Paced by a runner-up finish from junior Zoe Shetty, the Hawks captured their fifth straight team state title on the course at Cabell Midland. Shetty finished with a mark of 18:24, and was joined by teammates Caroline Kirby (5th) and Emma Troischt (10th) in the Top 10.
“We’ve been working hard this whole season, and we knew that we had a good chance of winning today,” Shetty said.
Morgantown nabbed a third-place team finish behind freshman Lea Hatcher, who earned third-place honors as an individual with a mark of 18:33. Preston joined their regional rivals in the Top 5, finishing fifth as a team. Knights’ freshman Allie Martin recorded a fourth-place finish with a time of 18:57
As University freshman Josh Edwards crossed the two mile mark during Saturday’s WVSSAC State Cross Country Championships, he was neck-and-neck with Wheeling Park senior Ronnie Saunders. So far, he had held strong in the lead, but he knew that might not last much longer.
“He throws down that mile – two to three – faster than anyone I’ve seen in my running career,” Edwards said. “As soon as I saw him get in front of me, I knew it was going to be like that.”
Edwards wasn’t able to hold off his more-experienced foe, but still earned runner-up honors with a time of 16:07. He was the top finisher for a Hawks team that nabbed a third-place team finish.
Preston junior Cole Friend (7th) and Morgantown junior Jackson Core ( 9th) also brought home top-ten finishes, earning all-state honors for the season. The Mohigans took home fifth overall as a team.
