Meet Recap: 2021 Bull Run XC Invitational Afternoon Session



Hereford High School once again played host to the 2021 Bull Run Cross Country Invitational. Athletes from over 100 teams registered for the meet, including some teams from Virginia. As always, the most riveting part of the course comes from "The Dip," a harrowing hill that is featured in the beginning and the end of the course. Surrounded by many race-enthusiasts on the sidelines and filled by tumultuous applause, "The Dip" is a must-see sight for this meet. 

The meet was broken down into two sections: the morning session and the afternoon session. The afternoon session was comprised of a total of six races: Boys Medium Varsity; Girls Medium Varsity; Boys Small Varsity; Girls Small Varsity; Boys Small/Medium Junior Varsity/Open; and Girls Small/Medium Junior Varsity/Open.

Boys Medium Varsity:

(Ashton Tolson emerges as an early leader in the first half of the race)

For the Boys Medium Varsity race, C. Milton Wright junior Ashton Tolson was victorious with a time of 16:24.5. He separated himself from the rest of the pack with a huge lead of 40 seconds. The second-place finisher was Oakland Mills junior Ethan Aidam with a time of 17:06.7. Not much further was Huntingtown senior Thomas Foulkes finishing third with a time of 17:16.3. The fourth-place finisher was Oakdale junior Abhishek Mudireddy with a time of 17:25.3. Atholton junior Ethan Mulcahy came close to Mudireddy, finishing just less than two seconds behind with a time of 17:27.0. Ultimately, the Poolesville boys took home the top honors, led by junior Caleb J. Dastrup with a time of 17:48.7. Atholton came in second, led by Mulcahy, with a score of 124 points. Towson came in third with 131 points. 

(Ashton Tolson finishes first in the Boys Medium Varsity race, time: 16:24.5)


Girls Medium Varsity:


(Elizabeth Pickett gives herself an early lead during the race)

For the Girls Medium Varsity race, Bel Air senior Elizabeth Pickett finished first with a time of 19:31.7, which granted her an impressive lead of over 30 seconds. Behind Pickett was Frederick sophomore Caroline Gregory, finishing second with a time of 20:07.5. The third-place finisher was Poolesville sophomore Daisy B. Dastrup with a time of 20:41.2. Next, Atholton freshman Gabrielle Shord came in fourth with a time of 20:47.7. The fifth runner to finish was Towson junior Isabel Aldana with a time of 20:57.2. Aldana ended up leading her team to victory as Towson scored a mere 68 points. The second team was Atholton, led by Shord, with 108 points. The third team was C. Milton Wright with 128 points.

(Elizabeth Pickett places first in the Girls Medium Varsity race, time: 19:31.7)


Boys Small Varsity:

(Day Leone becomes a leader during the beginning of the race, pictured alongside Kaleb Berhanu)

For the Boys Small Varsity race, Bohemia Manor senior Day Leone was first with a time of 17:10.8. The race was close as Cambridge-South Dorchester senior John Condon followed behind with a 3-second-margin and a finishing time of 17:13.5. The third-place finisher was Pikesville senior Kaleb Berhanu with a time of 17:34.8. Fourth place was taken by Fallston senior Quinn Daly with a time of 17:45.2. Another Fallston athlete joined the ranks with senior Alex Xavier finishing fifth with a time of 17:54.1. For the team scores portion, Liberty, as led by sixth-place finisher Davis Trump, took home the win with only 54 points. Liberty's win came from its top five runners placing within the top 15: Davis Trump (6th, 18:12.14); Noah Petroski (11th, 19:11.4); Logan Cyford (13th, 19:14.6); Benjamin Smith (14th, 19:21.6); and Luke Carpenter (15th, 19:22.4). The second team was Bohemia Manor, led by first-place winner Leone, with 127 points. The third team was Fallston, led by Daly and Xavier, with 132 points. 

(Day Leone finishes first in the Boys Small Varsity race, time: 17:10.8)


Girls Small Varsity:


(Caroline Matthews starts strong, pictured alongside Olivia Sobkowicz

For the Girls Small Varsity race, Boonsboro sophomore Caroline Matthews dominated the race with a time of 19:52.9, giving her an impressive lead of over a minute and a half. The second-place finisher was Fallston junior Emily Atha with a time of 21:36.6. The third-place finisher was Notre Dame Prep freshman Olivia Sobkowicz with a time of 21:48.5. Roland Park junior Ryan Greenlee was fourth with a time of 21:57.4. Fifth was Maryvale Prep junior Min Joo Kim with a time of 22:09.7. Sobkowicz was successful in helping her team win as Notre Dame Prep finished with a total score of 50 points. The second-place team was Maryvale Prep, led by Kim, with 81 points. Liberty was third with 125 points.  

(Caroline Matthews breaks away from the pack, finishing first in the Girls Small Varsity race)


Boys Small/Medium JV/Open

(Towson boys go 1-2, pictured left to right: John Fields and Theodore Brown)

For the Boys Small/Medium JV/Open race, Towson had a 1-2 duo that led the race. Towson freshmen John Fields and Theodore Brown took over first and second place, respectively. Fields finished at a time of 20:00.7, while Brown finished at a time of 20:08.4. The third finisher was Liberty freshman Stanley Mesceda with a time of 20:17.5. Hereford senior Justin Gasparini finished fourth with a time of 20:29.9. Fifth was St. Paul's sophomore Ethan Schulze with a time of 21:02.7. With having both the first and second place finishers on the team, it was to no surprise that Towson took home the top honors with a score of 79 points. The second-place title went to Hereford, led by Gasparini, with 91 points. The third-place title went to St. Paul's, led by Schulze, with 121 points. 


Girls Small/Medium JV/Open:

(Hereford girls pictured left to right: Alison Klein, Delaney Klein, Irene Zielinski)

For the Girls Small/Medium JV/Open, it was a Hereford sweep. Hereford dominated the race going 1-2-3. First was senior Elaine Bodendorfer in a winning time of 23:59.8. Behind her was second-place finisher, junior Irene Zielinski, with a time of 24:10.8, followed very closely by freshman Ridley Lentz with a time of 24:11.7.  In fourth-place was Maryvale Prep senior Riley Gerbereux in a time of 24:18.6, breaking up a potential 1-2-3-4-5 Hereford sweep. Fifth was a Hereford battle with sophomore Delaney Klein and senior Alison Klein battling for the next spot. Delaney Klein snagged fifth with a time of 24:24.6, while Alison Klein placed sixth with the same time.


(Elaine Bodendorfer breaks away from the pack, finishing first in the Girls S/M JV/Open race)

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