MORGANTOWN – The 2024 fall sports season is rolling along with the WVSSAC cross country state meet being held on Saturday at Cabell Midland High School in Ona.
Four local coverage schools will be represented in both the boys’ and girls’ races in Class AAA and A, with Morgantown, University, Preston, and Trinity Christian as qualifying teams and individuals.
The Class AAA girls’ field includes UHS, MHS, and Preston in the team competition. Last week, they finished as the top three teams in the Region I meet.
UHS sophomore Abigail Rogers and senior Claire Von Boetticher each secured top-five finishes individually at the regional level. Rogers was second with a time of 18:22.66, while Von Boetticher took fifth at 18:42.30.
Preston senior Hallie Simmons led the Knights at the Region I meet with an impressive third-place finish at 18:39.02. Her sister Ava and teammates, twin sisters Autumn and Delilah Myers, each finished within the top 20 to help propel PHS to the state meet.
“Hallie is someone we feel that her performances haven’t matched her training,” PHS head coach Paul Martin said. “Then, at regionals, she broke through and had her best performance of the year. She and our other girls are focused on building on last week and showing what they can do on Saturday.”
The Morgantown Mohigans will also be chasing their sixth consecutive state girls’ team title. Senior Maraid Johnson leads MHS after securing a sixth-place finish at the regional meet in 18:58.64. Her teammate Allison Hawkins took eighth at regionals, while four other Mohigans placed in the top 20.
“We have an injury-free roster, optimal fitness, and a team riding a wave of momentum—three big factors that give us a good chance at success this weekend,” MHS head coach Mike Ryan said. “Our team’s depth and ability to run as a pack on race day will be a huge advantage. Mentally, our team is ready to go. We must execute the race strategy effectively, including pacing, positioning, and surge timing. I am confident we are prepared, focused, and ready to give our all on Saturday.”
For the boys in Class AAA, the University Hawks enter as favorites to take home the team title and repeat as champions for the sixth consecutive season.
Senior Tyler Umbright claimed the Region I title with a time of 15:18.11. UHS occupied the top three spots in Region I with Micah Gainer and Ethan Conroy finishing second and third, respectively.
“Conditions will be favorable for everyone to run their best race,” UHS coach Ed Frohnapfel said. “The State Meet course is a fair course for everyone. It is not the easiest course we have run all season, but overall, it is a fair test for the runners. The difficulty comes in that it is the last meet of the season representing your high school and the reference point for how your season went.”
MHS was led by Joaquin Summer, who finished fifth in 15:55.20, and his teammate Andrew Carlson took sixth at 15:59.20.
Preston senior Landon Griffith will be the lone Knight racing for the boys’ team on Saturday. Griffith claimed 11th in Region I at 16:09.60 to qualify for his first state meet.
In Class A, Trinity Christian boys and girls qualified as a top-three team in Region I.
“The girls’ team is mostly underclassmen, and the state meet is another step in their development. We need to take this experience, learn from it, and build on it,” TCS coach John Barnett said. “It’s always special to qualify for states, and I think they understand it and are excited to be there. For our guys, we need to be who we are and run how we know we can run. We did not have our best race at regionals; they all feel they have something to prove. Everyone always brings their best at states, and I believe we will do the same.”
The 2024 WVSSAC state cross-country meet will be held in Ona at Cabell Midland High School. Races will begin in the morning, with the Class AA race at 9:00 a.m. Class AAA will begin at noon, with Class A running at 3:00 p.m.
