Boys place second in race at Rappahannock High School

On Wednesday September 20, the George Mason Mustang Cross Country team had an impressive showing against fellow Bull-Run District rivals, as the girls placed first overall, while the guys placed second.

With state-ranked powerhouse Clarke County absent from the meet, the Mustangs took full advantage, beating Madison County, Strasburg, and Manassas Park. The girls also ousted Rappahannock to take first place overall, while the guys narrowly fell to the Panthers by a mere two points.

Leading the way for the ladies was junior Susanna Sullivan with a time of 20:10, trouncing the closest competitor, Gabe Giersch of Strasburg by nearly a minute and a half. Fellow Mason runners Emma Goetz, Karen Hamill, Elizabeth Fortenberry, and Karina Robarge placed three thru six in the meet with times of 22:00, 22:32, 22:33, and 23:12, respectively. The top seven runners are considered “varsity,” for Mason, with Courtney Ready and Taylor Moot rounding out the varsity runners for the Mustangs with times of 23:33 and 23:43.

Not to be outdone by their fellow runners, the guys team ran a valiant race, before falling to the Rappahannock Panthers, who fielded two out of the top three finishers in the entire race. Despite only losing by two points, the Mustangs showed their high hopes for future races, as their top four runners were underclassmen. Sophomores Louis Henninger and Daniel Benn were the top two runners for Mason, finishing within one second of each other at times of 18:52 and 18:53. Rounding out the top seven for the Mustangs were Carlos Clark, Miles Butler, Will Stewart, and Andrew Breen with times of 19:08, 19:22, 19:22, and 19:24, respectively.  

The Mustangs squared off again against Bull Run District foes Clarke County, Rappahannock, and Manassas Park this past Wednesday. Results were not available at press time. Their next match will be on Saturday, Sept. 30 at Marymount High in Richmond.