Mussmon scares the 16-minute barrier as Vikings place in Carlisle Invitational Challenge Race

Many old-time runners will tell you, "Cross country isn't about time, it's about place." For Graham Mussmon, who led the Vikings in today's Carlisle Invitational, time meant everything.

Mussmon, whose pre-race PR of 16:02 was tantalizingly close to being in the "elite 15s," planned to better that mark and establish himself as one of Virginia's few sub-16 minute runners while also leading the Vikings to their pre-race goal of a top-3 team finish.

With competition from several states including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and Virginia, Mussmon and his Vikings teammates certainly had competition. Through a fast and tightly packed opening mile, the Vikings were unwavering in their quests to meet their pre-race goals. However, as the race unfolded, it appeared the team's lack of experience on the Carlisle course may get the best of them.

Mussmon, who opened the race with a 4:55 mile, found unexpected challenges with the curves, turns, and obstacles of the second mile. Truman Abbe agreed, noting that his unfamiliarity with the course led to unexpected mental fatigue in the final stages of the race. As the Viking's passed the second mile, Mussmon continued to lead with Aidan Soto, Abbe, Justin Park, and Jake Rimmel holding their positions as Valley's scoring 5. Behind the five scorers, Ben Moseman and Gabe Cates were pushing for their own personal bests as the team's 6 and 7 runners.

The final mile saw plenty of changes. Mussmon, who passed the 2-mile mark in 19th place, slipping from his sub-16 pace goal, found a renewed drive and sped through his final mile, passing 6 competitors along the way. Mussmon sprinted toward the line as the clocked ticked ever closer toward 16 minutes. With one last glance at the clock, Mussmon had crossed the line knowing his fate- 16:00 had passed a mere 9/10ths of a second earlier. Mussmon did set a new PR of 16:00.9, earning a medal in 13th place, although disappointed in missing the time barrier.

"Only a fierce competitor would walk away from a PR race disappointed," Coach Shirk noted after the meet. "But sometimes a missed goal is a blessing in disguise, giving a boost to your motivation and making you want that goal even more. It makes you work for it."

Mussmon wasn't the only Viking to set a new best. In the final mile, Justin Park found an extra gear to propel himself into the #2 spot for the Viking's order. Park also established a new personal best, running a time of 16:47 to take 4 seconds from his previous time as he finished in 48th place.

Park was shortly followed by 3 of his teammates as Soto, Rimmel, and Abbe crossed the line in a mere 13-second span, running 17:00, 17:09, and 17:13, respectively. Rimmel's time marked a season's best effort, bettering his mark of 17:24 at the Oatlands Invitational, while Abbe's time tied his season's best.

Moseman and Cates rounded out the top 7 with their times of 17:29 and 17:45, both season bests.

In team scoring, the Vikings fell short of their pre-race goal of a top-3 finish, but held on for a 5th place finish, earning a team trophy. Winning the meet was Severna Park of Maryland, followed by University High School of Morgantown, West Virginia, and Lasalle College High School of eastern Pennsylvania.

The Vikings varsity boys will compete again on October 5th at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, North Carolina.