Lady Vikings Claim Regional Crown

Three days before the Region 4C Championship meet, the Loudoun Valley Vikings made a trip to Great Meadow to explore the unfamiliar course. That cool, crisp, morning in a slight rain drizzle, the team ran repeats of the middle section of the course before striding up the final hills to complete their practice.

Aside from mud-splattered clothing in need of washing, the practice was completely uneventful- another notch in the belt of a season of hard work.

It wasn't until mid-way through the Region 4C races that the significance of the practice came to light as the adage "practice makes perfect" proved true with each passing foot-strike of the Viking's runners.

In strikingly similar conditions to their practice, the Viking girls' pulled away from their competition to claim the Region 4C crown, their 5th in a row.

Pre-race favorite Ava Gordon and 2020 regional champion Scarlet Fetterolf immediately established themselves as contenders early in the race. As the duo splashed through the creek and began the climb towards their 1-mile mark, they were joined by approximately 6 other runners, including the top two of district rival Tuscarora High School.

Gordon, who entered the race with the top time by 40 seconds, used the first mile to analyze her competition and judge to prefect moment to make a move.

In an instant, Gordon accelerated and formed a gap as she opened her stride through the same middle mile that she had previously practiced on. Only a kilometer later, Gordon's lead had grown to 20 seconds and her push to the line would be a lonesome one as the battle for second unfolded behind her. Gordon continued her solo push all the way through the finish, claiming the individual title in a time of 17:30, Gordon's second fastest time of her career.

Fetterolf passed through the woods and into the final mile in second place with Tuscarora's top two in hot pursuit. Fetterolf, who had been managing a cough for several days, rounded the final turn in 4th place in a fight with her rivals, sprinting toward the finish line. Fetterolf kicked past one runner and ultimately finished in 3rd, with the times of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th being separated by only 1 second. Fetterolf's time of 18:18 was her second fastest ever, missing her personal best by only 4.6 seconds.

With the top two already through the chute, 3 remaining scorers would determine the fate of the team. Running almost side-by-side, sophomores Eryn Lackey and Ella Peterson used their mid-race experience to fight their way through the field of competitors. Hanging in approximately 15th and 16th places through the majority of the first 2 miles, Lackey and Peterson used a final-mile surge to climb several positions.

Entering the race with identical season-best times, Lackey and Peterson continued to prove to be a formidable 3rd and 4th runner pair that no other team in the region could match as they climbed their way to 11th and 12th places overall, with each earning new personal bests of 19:24 and 19:28, respectively.

Sam Bolen and Ceci Fetterolf also ran in tandem, pulling each other to their best times of the season. Bolen, who passed 4 runners in the final mile, broke through the 20-minute barrier for the first time with a personal record of 19:53 for 20th place, matching her pre-race goal. Fetterolf continued her rebound from injury in the middle of the season, improving for the 3rd consecutive week with a time of 20:03 in 23rd place.

Katherine Slovak, running as the team's 7th runner after a strong Dulles District race, improved for the 5th time this season with a time of 20:55 for 34th place.

Impressively, the Lady Vikings bettered their competition at every corresponding position- Valley's #1 better than any other team's #1, all the way through the 7th runner. This feat proved to be insurmountable as the girls tallied an impressive 47 points to capture the region crown and earn a state berth. Tuscarora finished in 2nd (67 points) with Lightridge in the 3rd and final state qualifying position with (83 points).

The VHSL 4A State Championship will take place on Saturday, November 13th, at Great Meadow.