Photo by Craig Amoss
Oakley Olson won last year's 3A state cross country title while running at Huntingtown High School. After transferring to Northern-Calvert prior to the indoor track season, she only seemed to get even better. Olson won three individual track titles - indoor and outdoor 1600 and outdoor 3200 - in her first year with the Patriots, and clocked a 2:18 800 and 5:00 1600 in postseason action. The Northern girls are once again loaded this fall, and none of their top seven returning runners are seniors. The winners of three consecutive 3A state titles seem to be set for a few more years, at the least.
Photo by John Roemer
After just two seasons at Leonardtown, runners and fans alike have gotten used to seeing Nelle Ray at the front of races. Ray won the SMAC title as a freshman in 2017, and after finishing third last season, she will be back to try and reclaim her title in 2019. Along with rising sophomore Parker O'Brien, Ray and the Raiders will be one of a few teams vying for a top-two team finish this year.
Photo by Craig Amoss
The SMAC was riddled with talented freshmen last fall, and it shows in the returning lists for this season. A whopping six of the top ten returning runners from last year's SMAC Championships are rising sophomores (and the rest are only rising juniors). One of those freshmen is Huntingtown's Kirsten Doty, who, along with junior Jane Gorman, will take over the reigns for the Hurricanes without Olson.
Photo by John Roemer
Chopticon's Blair Fowler was one of the SMAC's top young stars on the track this spring; she dropped a 5:23 1600 at the 3A South regionals to qualify for the state meet as a freshman. Fowler did not run cross country as a freshman, but hers is certainly a name to watch out for if she does hit the course this fall. The Braves already have a solid foundation of returning runners, and an addition of a bright star like Fowler could elevate them to the number 2 spot in the SMAC.
Photo by John Roemer
Lackey's Annie Landgraf captured the 1A South regional title last fall before finishing 12th at the state meet - her second consecutive year placing in the top 20. Landgraf's 21:50 effort at the state meet was 12th-fastest among SMAC returners, just 15 second's behind Leonardtown's Parker O'Brien. Landgraf and the Chargers move up to the 2A South region this year where she will compete to add another regional title to her belt.