The Western Albemarle cross country program is having a great season from both the boys and girls teams.  The boys’ team is led by juniors, Joe Hawkes and Jack Elliason, who are currently ranked first and second in the 5000 meter race in Virginia.  The boys team was ranked second in Milestat’s, “VA’s Preseason Top 10 Boys Teams,” and are the favorites to win the VHSL 3A State Title. The girls team is also having a great season.  Kate Ratcliffe, Jenna Stutzman, and Sterling Hull are ranked in the top 100 in the state for the 5000 meter race.

When asked about the team’s success, Stuart Terril, the 5th man on the team said, “This year has been amazing.  The dedication and work ethic shown by all the guys on the team has been great.”

Jack Elliason also commented, “This is one of the best boys cross country teams Western has ever had.”

Both teams have had a strong start. The first meet was the Ragged Mountain Cup at Panorama Farms, on September 5th.  Western finished with the top three individual times in the 2-mile relay. Joe Hawkes finished with the top overall time of 9:53, Jack Elliason followed with 10:09, and Joseph Taylor finished third with 10:26.

The girls Cross Country team was the champion of the RVA Night Relays on September 22 in Richmond. WAHS had the best overall place. The top relay team, consisting of Sterling Hull, Kate Ratcliffe, Ella Taylor, Jenna Stutzman, and Alyssa Santoro-Adajian finished 5th overall in the A race.

The Western boys team continues to dominate, as they finished first overall at the Fork Union Cross Country Invitational on September 22.  In the Colonial Boys 5000 Meter race, Joe Hawkes (16:06) and Jack Elliason (16:09) finished first and second, and Cyrus Rody-Ramazani finished in 6th place with 16:50.