By Sara Page, Midlothian Exchange
spage@midlothianexchange.com

The Midlothian girls’ cross country team had one big advantage leading into Saturday’s Virginia High School League Group AAA Cross Country Championships. The team knew the course.

The seniors had been there four times. In fact everyone on the team, besides the freshmen, had been there every year of their high school career. The Lady Trojans were looking for their fifth consecutive team championship. Knowing the course was a big advantage because rain in the days leading up to the race cancelled any walk-through that competitors had hoped for.

“Yesterday, we couldn’t walk it, so, honestly, I think some of us kind of forgot some of it but, I know for those who have run it before, we can visualize some of it,” Midlothian’s Kathleen Lautzenheiser said.

The rain made the rolling course at Great Meadows in The Plains slower than normal and puddles made some spots tricky, but a freshman runner from Lake Braddock, Sophie Chase, set the pace for the meet. She flew through the first part of the course, opening up a three-second lead in the first mile. Mountain View’s Kaitlyn Davis, Brooke Point’s Kathryn Walker and Lautzenheiser caught her in the hillier section, but Chase set a demanding tempo for the field.

“I think, for me, it was faster than what I’ve ever done before on this course for the first mile, but I know that all of us are probably capable of keeping that time,” Lautzenheiser said.
Kathleen Lautzenheiser (4th overall, 3rd in team scoring, 18:29) led the charge for the Lady Trojans followed by Marie Johnston (11th, 9th, 18:49) and Claire Benjamin (18th, 13th, 19:10). But Midlothian finished second behind Lake Braddock. Chase led her team with a third-place individual finish at 18:28, good enough for second in team scoring.

Lake Braddock’s win came from the fourth and fifth runners, Kelly Hagan and Amanda Parker. Hagan finished 24th and Parker finished 28th in team scoring, 10 points and 14 points, respectively, ahead of Midlothian’s fourth and fifth finishers.

Humidity proved to be a bit of an issue in previous races. Chilly, 50-degree temperatures caused runners to not hydrate perhaps as well as they should have before the race, then humidity plagued them on the course.

“Runners generally like it to be in the 40s or 50s, cold weather, so I think humidity is a little bit of an issue, but all runners have to run through it. It’s just the luck of the day,” Lautzenheiser said.

The Lady Trojans put on a great performance and certainly got a glimpse into a bright future. Of the seven scoring runners, only three are seniors, and Johnston, the second runner on the team is only a freshman.

In the individual race, Cosby sophomore Megan Moye sprinted her way into the top 15 with a 12th place finish at 18:51.