THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411130250
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: THE PLAINS LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
The Great Bridge boys' cross country team placed five runners in the top half of all Group AAA finishers, edging Lake Braddock by one point to finish third in the team competition at the Virginia High School League state cross-country meet at Great Meadows.
Kempsville's Adrienne Parker had the best individual finish in Group AAA of any area runner, placing 8th in the girls' race.
West Springfield defended its 1993 state title by outscoring South Lakes 105-110 in the boys' team competition. In the boys' individual race, W.T. Woodson's Mohammed Musse upset defending state champion Seneca Lassiter by 12 seconds, finishing with a time of 15:18.0.
Great Bridge improved on a 10th place finish in last year's state meet. Juniors Mike Donnelly and Eric Adams paced the Wildcats by finishing 12th and 13th overall, the highest finish among area runners in the boys' race. Andrew Cadorette (43rd), Erik Cooper (52nd), and Jason Wagner (63rd) rounded out Great Bridge's top five.
The Maury boys' team, led by Dallas Williams (23rd) and Darryl Wood (48th), finished 13th in the field of 16.
Parker, the Beach District and Eastern Region winner, ran a personal best time of 18:54.1, 46 seconds off the pace of defending state champion Jackie Kerr.
``I didn't want to go out too fast,'' said Parker, a sophomore. ``I always plan to work the middle (of the race) and let the beginning and end take care of itself.''
In the girls' team competition, Great Bridge finished 12th, followed by Maury (14th) and Western Branch (16th). C.D. Hylton repeated as state champions.
Western Branch's Meredith Turnage, ranked second to Parker among area runners, was tripped two-thirds of the way through the three-mile course and fell down a hill, spraining her right ankle. Turnage, running seventh at the time, was unable to finish.
In the Group AA races, Wesley Andrews finished 6th overall to lead the York boys to an 8th place finish. The Falcons' girls' team finished 7th, led by Jamie Singleton (31st) and Kimberly Walter (39th). by CNB