On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, the Girls Cross Country team competed at the Westminster Home Meet #2. After three laps around the mile long course and a sprint down the track to the finish, the squad gave notice that they will be a force to be reckoned with at State. The Lady Raiders finished in second place overall with 43 points, just behind Westminster (ranked #2 in AAA), and ahead of Atlanta International School (ranked #3 in Single A).
Naira Turbes of Westminster (ranked #2 in the State All-Class) scorched the course in 18:11, which is the second fastest time run anywhere in the State this year. Raider sophomore Elle Mezzio ran side-by-side with Cara Joyce from AIS for the entire race and barely out-kicked her at the finish line for 3rd place. Sophomores Tori Williams and Murphy Barja had season-best times.
Head Coach Isaac Seals commented, "I did not know how we would compete against a couple of the best teams in the State. But we really stepped up against some great runners and established ourselves today. We gained a lot of confidence in this race and I think the focus going forward for us the next few weeks will be mental toughness, and believing in ourselves."
The MileSplit state rankings apparently agreed, as the Riverwood Girls moved up to #6 in the AAAAA rankings.
The Lady Raiders next race is Saturday, October 6 at the Nash Farm Battlefield in Hampton
View or download the Girls Cross Country 2018 Schedule
Lady Raiders Top 10
20:18 Elle Mezzio 3rd
21:28 Elizabeth Smith 6th
22:06 Nina Ouellette 8th
22:47 Celine Al-Noubani 13th
23:14 Tori Williams 17th*
23:35 Allison Leffler 21st
24:11 Murphy Barja 28th*
24:15 Blake Solomon 29th
25:39 Olivia Novotny 44th
26:23 Olivia Pryor 53rd
*season-best