Vikings Boys Capture Oatlands Title; Varsity B takes 2nd

For the Viking boys, their last trip to Oatlands ended with devastatingly narrow losses to Jefferson Forrest and Grafton High Schools that left them off of the state championship podium for the first time in 5 years. However small the three point difference appeared that day, it has proven to be an immeasurable motivator as the team begins its new season.

At today's Oatlands Invitational the Viking's varsity boys left no doubt that they are seeking redemption. On the same course that dealt them their 2020 loss, the Loudoun Valley squad tallied just 110 points, defeating second place regional rival James Wood by 41 points, despite running without 2 of its top 7 members.

Looking to make a statement right from the gun, both Aidan Soto and Graham Mussmon found themselves among the leaders as they made their way through the thunderous crowds of the course's second mile. Soto and Mussmon were not alone, however, as Truman Abbe, Justin Park, and Jake Rimmel each trailed the leaders by only a matter of seconds.

Mussmon, making his 2021 season debut, was the first Viking to crest "the hill," having essentially secured a position in the top 5 after a group of 4 made a hard push through the middle mile. The four remaining yellow jerseys followed Mussmon in short order, leaving little doubt that the Vikings were striding their way to a team victory with each member having passed the 2.5 mile mark well inside the top 40.

Ultimately Mussmon crossed the line in 5th place in 16:24 - over a minute faster than any of his previous Oatlands races. Soto put on a strong kick to retain his position as a the Viking's #2 runner for the day, crossing the line in 16:48 for13th place.

Both Mussmon and Soto earned medals with their top 15 finishes.

Abbe, Park, and Rimmel showed the depth of the team as they crossed the line in a span of 11 seconds, with 17:13(26th), 17:17(29th), and 17:23(37th), respectively, with each setting "course bests" for Oatlands. Abbe's time sliced a remarkable 41 seconds from his previous Oatlands best.

Even with a team victory secured, the Viking boys were still not done for the day. In the last event of the meet, the Varsity B race showcased the depth of the Loudoun Valley program. In a race featuring most teams' #8-14 runners, the Viking's came away with a second place trophy, trailing just Richard Montgomery High School who competed in only the Varsity B race.

Leading the Vikings through the early stages of the "B" race was junior Gabe Cates who found a little separation between himself and teammates Luke Blair and Bradley Bernard as they made their way to the hilly woods of mile 2. The order would remain the same throughout the middle mile and as the threesome reached the peak of the main hill, but Bernard and Blair focused on maintaining their form and speed despite the tiring effects of the hill. The duo closed the gap on Cates, passing him shortly before the 3-mile mark, and dueling in a sprint to the finish line to earn identical times of 18:26 for both Bernard and Blair who finished in 8th and 9th places. Bernard's time proved to be an all-time personal best by 10 seconds.

Cates held on for a fine finish of his own, finishing just 5 seconds behind Bernard and Blair, with a time of 18:31 in 11th place. Sophomore Ty Blair, running in just his second race, finished 4th for the team in 18:50 in 15th place. Each of the Viking's top 4 boys earned medals with their top 15 placings. Rounding out scoring for the Varsity B team were Pearson Dhillon (19:46, 29th place) and Jason Canlas (20:04, 32nd place), each of whom improved their season bests from last week's Great Meadow Invitational.

In JV action it was all about setting PRs. In the underclassman race, setting personal records is becoming commonplace for Garret Boldin.

Boldin ran a personal best of 24:18 at Oatlands on Wednesday, taking nearly 4 minutes off of his time from Great Meadow. Not satisfied yet, Boldin dropped a staggering 2:31 seconds in just 3 days as he completed the Oatland Invitational course in just 21:49.

Boldin wasn't alone in setting personal bests. Jack McClelland recovered from a strained quadriceps muscle he incurred at the Great Meadow Invitational before staggering to the finish line in over 31-minutes. McClelland showed no signs of weakess at Oatlands, however, as he eclipsed his previous best by over a minute, finishing in 22:13. Nicholas Thomas also ran a personal best, taking 7 seconds from his Great Meadows time with 29:27.

In upperclassman JV, Connor Ney led the way in 19:30 followed by John Tierney in 19:51 with each setting season best times. Braden Sheehan finished in 20:03, setting his third consecutive personal best.

Also setting season bests were: Jorge Cruz (24:51), Jacob Gugliotta (21:25), and Nathaniel Hertzberg (20:46).

Full results can be found on milestat.com's results page, while team results can be found on our own performance tracker.