Area cross country runners have grinded for months amongst the elements handed out by Mother Nature in preparation for the postseason.
That level of preparation will be tested Thursday when state tournament berths are handed out in all three classes in regional competition. The Class AAA meet will be held at Beckley-Stratton Middle school, while the Class AA and Class A regionals will be contested at Westside High School.
The Woodrow Wilson boys and girls have been the standard bearer for Class AAA in Region 3 and will be considered the teams to beat again this year.
The Woodrow boys are ranked No. 4 in the state and have won five of the last six regional titles, while the girls have won six straight titles.
“Both teams are running really well. I would say we are in the top two teams in the region in both boys and girls,” Woodrow Wilson head coach George Barbera said. “There is some competition in the region and it’s never easy. We have been a target for several years.”
Freshman Aiden Kneeland has been impressive in his freshman campaign. He enters the postseason as the No. 6 ranked runner in AAA. Sophomore teammate Brandon Canaday (22), along with seniors Chris Huffman (30) and Christian Saffouri (35) are all ranked in the top-35.
Connor Cormack (51), Josh Cormack (53), Robert Shirey (61) have also had solid seasons for the Flying Eagles.
Woodrow Wilson is expected to be challenged by St. Albans, Riverside and George Washington.
After a third-place finish last year in the state meet, the Woodrow girls were hit hard by graduation. Facing a bit of a rebuilding year, the ladies have been a pleasant surprise this season.
“Coming into the season as team, I did have some doubts. Being on this team and winning the regional every year, I really wanted that again this season,” senior Colette Lindley said. “This has been a completely different team, but as the season has progressed, I really feel like this team is going to take us to states.”
Lindley enters the regional meet ranked 20th, while sophomore teammate Lauren Curtis is 38th.
Greenbrier East and Princeton will challenge the Flying Eagles on the girl’s side.
Junior Abigail Londeree is ranked 29th in the state and leads the Spartans. She is backed up by sophomores Emma Toler and Abby Dixon who are also ranked inside the top-60.
Freshman Asia Collins is ranked 56th and has been impressive this season for the Tigers.
Class AA Shady Spring has been the top boys’ team in Region 3 followed closely by Nicholas County. The Tigers are ranked No. 5, while the Grizzlies check in at No. 8.
Sophomore Jacob Dowdy leads the Tigers and is the No. 3 ranked runner in the state. After missing his freshman season with an injury, Dowdy has set numerous meet records this year.
Shady Spring juniors Jaeden Holstein and Sam Jordan are both ranked inside the top-40 and have also had strong seasons for the Tigers.
“Our top two runners can really fly, but you have to have the three, four and five guys step up,” Jordan said. “Our 3-5 runners consists of me, Eli Jordan, my brother, and Eli Northrop. Those two have pushed themselves every practice.”
Eli Jordan, Northrop and Zane Carothers are ranked inside the top-70 on the boy’s side.
Nicholas County is led by senior Alex Irvin who is ranked 19th in the state and is joined by senior Bradley Bostic, and freshman Johnny Walkup who are also top-70 ranked runners.
With three teams likely to come out of Region 3 in Class AA, Wyoming East and PikeView will be the strong contenders for the final team spot at the state meet.
The Warriors are led by Jacob Ellison who made the state meet in his freshman and sophomore seasons. Last year he was denied the chance for three straight due to a COVID shutdown at Wyoming East. Ellison is currently ranked 40th in Class AA.
The Panthers have three runners inside the top-60 led by junior Braden Ward who is ranked 18th. He is joined by freshmen runners, Matt Murphy and Nate Cook.
Nicholas County, Shady Spring and and Wyoming East will vie for two state meet spots in the girl’s division.
Junior Charlotte McGinnis leads the Tigers and is listed as the No. 9 runner in the state. She is joined by sophomore Abi Houck, senior Ryen Keffer and freshman Journey Whistoff who are inside the top-70 statewide.
The Grizzlies also have a strong team led by freshman Haley Johnson at 19 and junior Natalie Barr ranked 23rd.
Colleen Lookabill has performed well during her junior season and is no stranger to the state meet. Lookabill and sophomore Sara Harris are both in the top-75 ranked runners and are the anchors for the Warriors.
In Class A for the girls, Richwood will likely battle it out with Charleston Catholic for the top spot. Both will be favored to earn the two state meet berths.
The Lumberjacks are ranked No. 9 as a team and have a trio of sophomore runners listed in the top-50. Baylee Jarrett is ranked 10th, while Carlee Dillard is 21st and Kelsie Davis is 50th.
Each region will also send 20 percent of the number of contestants in each class to the state meet. That number includes the runners that qualified as a team. A minimum of ten individuals will qualifying from each region.
Contenders for an individual spot for the boys are Austin Bias and Chase Crosier from Oak Hill, along with Zachary Neal from Princeton in Class AAA. Hank Marsh from Bluefield hopes to qualify in Class AA.
Senior Trey Stanley from Richwood is ranked No. 4 in Class A and should earn his fourth straight appearance on the big stage. Junior Matthew Stutts from James Monroe is ranked 44th and could also bring home an individual berth.
Bethany Rosiek from Oak Hill is a contender in Class AAA and Chloe Honaker from Independence will make a run for a spot in AA.
A pair of young ladies from Summers County could make some noise in Class A. Junior Sarah Turner is ranked 52nd in the state and freshman teammate Avery Lilly is tied for 53rd.
