Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 7, 1993 TAG: 9311070089
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Nervo, Glenvar's sophomore standout, overwhelmed her would-be competition and cruised to her second straight Group A individual title during the state high school cross country championships Saturday at Virginia Tech.
On a cold and blustery day when many of Timesland's hopefuls fell just short of winning championships, Nervo didn't disappoint. She covered the 3.1-mile track in 20 minutes, 13 seconds, finishing 49 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kathy Burns of Bath County.
Nervo broke away from the pack seconds after the starting cannon exploded, and she led by 25 seconds at the first mile.
"I don't like [having] people in front of me," Nervo said. "I like to get out ahead of people and run my own pace."
Fort Chiswell sophomore Akemi Eisenhardt finished eighth, earning the all-state honors that are bestowed upon the top 15 individuals in each classification. Strasburg won its second consecutive title and third in the past four years.
Nervo had about five minutes to enjoy her victory before being asked if she could do it again next year.
"That's what I'd like to do," she said. "I want to win them all four years."
Christiansburg's boys and girls had hopes of sweeping the Group AA titles, but Handley edged the Blue Demons by three points to win the boys' race and Western Albemarle's girls wiped out the field as Christiansburg placed third.
The Warriors' girls put six runners in the top 15 in scoring 23 points, the second-lowest total in any boys' or girls' state race in Virginia High School League history. Virginia High won the girls' Group AA meet with 20 points in 1980.
Handley was a distant second Saturday with 98 points, and the Blue Demons had 156. Western Albemarle's Stephanie Ingersoll won the race in 20:14.
Bethany Eigel, the New River District and Region IV champion, was in contention for 2 1/2 miles before tiring and placing 24th.
"She needed to go out with the leaders if she wanted a shot at finishing in the top five," Christiansburg coach Steve Shelton said. "She gave it all she had, then she gave out."
Defending champion Blacksburg was sixth. Alleghany's Kathy Reynolds placed fifth individually.
In the boys' race, Christiansburg put five runners in the top 22, including Kevin Nolan at sixth and Jeremy Cosgriff in 12th, but Handley had three runners in the top 10 to nip the Demons 67-70. Blacksburg was ninth and Salem was 10th.
Tabb's Howard Townsend, last year's runner-up, won the race in 16:27.
Rickie Jennings of Giles posted his fourth straight top-10 finish in a state meet by placing second in the boys' Group A race. Jennings led at the mile-marker but eventually finished 12 seconds behind Patrick Henry-Glade Spring's Matthew Repass, who won his second straight title in 16:55.
"After the regionals last week, I was just hoping to make the top 15," said Jennings, who was fifth in Region C. "I'm very pleased."
Central of Woodstock won the team race with 71 points. Led by Jennings' performance, Giles placed fourth with 135 points followed by George Wythe at 154. Wythe's Jason Alexander was third, Chris Merrell of Covington was sixth, Auburn's Justin Mosby was 14th and Bath County's Matt Harvey was 15th.
Pulaski County's Jennifer Pohlig posted one of the better performances of any Timesland Group AAA runner in recent memory when she placed ninth in a lightning-fast girls' field. The race capped an impressive season for Pohlig, who emerged as one of Timesland's top female runners.
Thomas Jefferson Science and Technology ninth-grader Jaclyn Kerr scorched the trail in 19:10, the fastest time ever by a girl on the Tech course. The top eight finishers came in under the record of 20:05 set by Eigel this year. Hylton won the Group AAA girls' championship with 59 points and Manchester was second with 105.
West Springfield won the boys' Group AAA title with 118 points, Midlothian was second with 131. Seneca Lassiter of Lafayette was the individual champion with a winning time of 16:29. \
see microfilm for complete results
by CNB