It would probably be safe to say that the cross country season of 2018 was one of the craziest and abnormal in school history. Starting practice on July 31, the runners were up bright early every morning to prepare for what they thought would be a season full of tough races and long meets. Virginia weather had some other ideas. Rain, wind, and hurricanes all stood in the way of race days, and a whopping five races were cancelled. Runners still managed to have a productive season, as personal records were set and medals were won.

The racing season opened up on August 25th, with Great Meadows Invitational. One of the largest meets of the season, over 80 schools sent runners out to The Plains to compete. The Wildcats had a successful outing, with Camilla McKinstry (10) and Olivia Miller (9) taking home medals in their respective races.

Next came Monroe Parker Invitational. At a very familiar course for the team, Centreville traveled out to Burke Lake on September 8th for the second race of the season. Ideal weather produced tons of great times, and Olivia Miller gave the team another medal, finishing 11th in the freshman girls race.

In total, Miller finished her freshman year with 3 medals. When asked about her success, she said that “It was really empowering. It showed that hard work does pay off in the end.”

After that, racing began to become a rarity for the team. Oatlands Invitational was cancelled after weather destroyed the course conditions. The first Conference Meet of the season was cancelled because of the harsh rain coming in from Hurricane Florence. The next weekday meet at Nottoway Park was cancelled due to course flooding.

“I thought it was very disappointing that we missed a considerable amount of races, especially because it was my last season,” said Thomas Muradaz, a senior and Boys Team Captain. “However, it did make this season more unique and memorable.”

After almost two months of waiting, the runners were able to lace up their running shoes again for the Dobson Duals Championship.  On October 8th, all of the schools in the Concorde District met to battle it out for the coveted Dobson trophies. And Centreville did not disappoint.

After the races, the team headed to the awards presentation with suspense building, unsure of what their fate would be. It turned out the Wildcats took home not one, but two trophies! Both the freshman/sophomore boys and freshman/sophomore Girls teams won their respective divisions, edging out the likes of Chantilly and Westfield to earn the hardware.

“You are the future of this program,” said Coach Cole when addressing her team. She added that “Seeing the grit, determination, and confidence you all put on the course gets your team and me and Coach Cash super excited…”

Finally, to cap off the season, Centreville traveled out to Winchester for their last race of the season. Third Battle Invitational has been a team favorite for years, known for its extremely fast and flat course.

Nearly every Wildcat set a personal record at the meet, despite temperatures teetering around 40 degrees. Robin Khatri (11) set the teams fastest 5K time of the season, posting a 16:22.

Attention now shifts to the postseason, as Centreville’s varsity team is set to make another run at Regionals and beyond. The Varsity teams are as follows:

Boys: Girls:

Robin Khatri (11) Camilla McKinstry (10)

Alejo Cobos (11) Abigail Granberg (10)

Trevor Serrano (11) Megan Jones (10)

Jacob Robinette (10) Olivia Miller (9)

Nathan Her (12) Annie Mcintyre (9)

Mason Barnes (11) Cierra Telleen (10)

Wyatt Thomas (10) Gaby Betancourth (10)

Collin Dunphy (10) Jorden Harrity (10)

Dalton Stewart (12) Libby Forrester (12)

Tyler Anton (10) Vy Vu (10)

Edit: The Districts meet was a record breaking event for the Wildcats, and history was made. While the boys team as a whole did not qualify for the Regional meet, Khatri, Cobos, and Serrano all finished in the top 15 and secured themselves an individual spot.

The headline of the meet came in the girls race, as Camilla McKinstry took first place in the district, knocking off last year’s state champion in the process!

Her performance, paired with a great showing from Abby Granberg, who finished 14th, secured a team birth at Regionals.