The Bull Run Invitational, initially scheduled for September 23, was put on hold due to tropical storms circulating the Atlantic coast. However, not even Hurricane Ophelia could stop the high school athletes from racing as the meet was rescheduled to September 30. Some of the top high school distance runners in Maryland took on the Hereford high school course, featuring " the dip", a massive valley with two hills stretching about 100m in length both ways.

Boys

In the Boys Elite Varsity race, the former 2022 State Champion Henry Hopper of Wilde Lake re-established dominance on the same course after placing 1st in 16:04.0. After conserving energy in the first mile, Hopper moved from the middle of the lead pack to first. Towson's Kieran Mischke trailed behind Hopper to take 2nd in 16:07.10. The Towson Generals managed to take the team win after scoring a total of 68 points. Following closely in 2nd for team scores was Thomas S. Wooten with a score of 83 points. The Wooten Patriots were led by senior Troy Bailey (16:35.60) and junior Edward Sun (16:37.10) who went 5-6 together. Wootton was ranked 15th coming into this meet made a big statement finishing second and will surely make the 3A State even more competitive. 

Severna Park finished 3rd, but it is important to note that they were without thier #5 runner. They most likely pull much closer to Towson and Wootton with him competing. 

The Large Varsity race seemed like it would fall between Tsedeke Jakovics of Old Mill and Zaiden Lane of Arundel who were leading the pack through the first passing of the dip. However, Lane managed to pull away from Jakovics and took the win in 16:42.0. Walter Johnson's Calix McCormick (16:24.0) finished 2nd while Chesapeake's Alex Paciello (16:34.4) came in 3rd respectively. The Montgomery Blair Blazers took the team win with a score of 78 points, led by Alex Risso who placed 4th in 17:04.70.

Ryan Hartranfit of Century High School won the Medium Varsity race in 16:51.90, leading his fellow teammates Thomas Sewell (17:19.0) and Evan Kowalewski (18:04.2) to podium in the top 15. Owen Infante of South River placed 2nd behind Hartranfit in 17:04.8 respectively. The Hereford Boys managed to take the team win while defending their home course. They scored a total of 91 points for 1st place, narrowly beating out Baltimore Polytechnic who placed 2nd in the team scoring.

In the Small Varsity race, Liberty High School came in with a loaded roster to take the team win. Gregory Schellberg, Noah Petroski, Stanley Mesceda, and Jesse Gresh went 2-3-4-5 with Benjamin Smith coming one spot after in 7th place. This placement gave them a winning score of 21 points, one of the lowest ever at any Bull run race. Eric Penkala of Souther AA managed to stay ahead of the Liberty pack as he took the individual win in 16:28.80 for 1st. Notably, Chris Novak of Patterson Mill also was among the lead group and finished 6th in a time of 18:14.6.

Girls

Evelyn Rogers of Elizabeth Seton High took the win in the Girls Elite Varsity race, gapping the rest of the field by 45 seconds. Rogers has had a strong season already winning the Adidas XC Invitational and added another win to her streak after finishing in 18:28 on the Bull Run course. That time puts her 5th on the All-Time Bull Run list.  In the team scoring, it was a competitive field with Walter Johnson, Severna Park, Towson, and Hereford playing multiple girls in the top 25. Ultimately, the Severna Park girls took the team win with a score of 66. 

(Watch Evelyn Rogers run the #5 All-Time Bull Run Time)

In the Girls Large Varsity race, Grace Finnegan of Richard Montgomery High placed first with a winning time of 19:25.20. Not only did she take 1st place, but she also led her team to win the team title as the Rockets scored 49 points. Following Finnegan was Carter Brotherton of Great Mills in 19:57.90. The Huntingtown Hurricanes placed three girls in the top 10 with Leah Gullac (21:03.10), Sydney McClain (21:04.00), and Sophie Bryan (21:42.40) going 3-4-7 notably. 

The Girls Medium Race was won by Alyssa Mattes from River Hill in 19:55.20. Following behind Mattes was freshman Taylor Colson of Century High School who placed 2nd in 20:06.20. For the team scoring, North Harford High, led by Kendall Chandler (21:32.80), took the team win with a score of 60 points while also keeping a decent spread in time. Century High followed closely in 2nd with a score of 75 points for their team.

In the Small Varsity Race, sophomore Abigail Horsmon of Patterson Mill won in a time of 20:30.50. Following behind Horsmon, a trio from Smithburg High went 2-3-4, including Cora Gentzel (20:43.60), Michaela Gross (21:03.90), and Kayla Hawbecker (21:28.20). Although they made Smithburg a top contender, Mercy high school, led by Emily Kellerman (22:48.80), won with a 1st place score of 68 points for the team title.