The Statement
It's a nine hour drive from Towson, Maryland to Louisville, Kentucky, and to justify that drive, Calvert Hall was looking for more than just a good race: they went looking to make a statement.
And make a statement they did. Calvert Hall scored 59 points to win the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational, finishing 60 points ahead of runner-up Blacksburg's 119. Harrison was third with 171, followed by Trinity (Louisville) with 172 and St. Xavier with 202.
The Cardinals put six runners under 15:50, their scoring five averaged 15:30.14, and their fifth scorer crossed the line only 38.52 seconds after their first.
Senior Kaden Omopariola led Calvert Hall in 15:06.30, followed by senior JD Hughes in 15:20.65. Senior Ben Ghahhari ran 15:38.15, senior Aidan Heinbaugh followed in 15:40.77, and senior Luke Fistler completed the scoring five in 15:44.82.
Junior Colton Schafer was barely behind them in 15:49.56, giving Calvert Hall six runners under the 15:50 barrier. Senior Kai Watkins rounded out the Cardinals' seven in 16:24.53.
In a meet with a history stretching back decades, the first two performances carry some additional weight. After merging Saturday's results into MileSplit's all-time Trinity/Valkyrie performance list, Omopariola's 15:06.30 sits No. 38 in meet history, while Hughes' 15:20.65 ranks No. 81.
The Plan
“The boys had a great day at Louisville yesterday,” Calvert Hall head coach Scott Baker said. “The plan was to have 5-7 guys in the top 25 and move up if they felt good. They executed the plan really well. Our top few guys caught a couple of guys every mile.”
Coach Baker described the team's objective much more simply: “The goal for the team was to win and dominate.”
Calvert Hall did exactly that. Rather than relying on one or two low sticks to carry the scoring, the Cardinals overwhelmed the field with the depth that has become one of the defining characteristics of this Calvert Hall group. The Cardinals returned an experienced core from the team that won the 2025 MIAA championship, including a senior class that now occupies six of the seven spots in the varsity lineup that raced in Louisville.
The Fuel
There was another piece to the trip. Coach Baker says his athletes have noticed their absence from the early national conversation.
“The boys have really been fueled by not getting any national rankings by any media sources the past couple of weeks,” he said.
Of course, one September invitational doesn't determine what a team will accomplish later in the fall, and there is plenty of racing still ahead, but Calvert Hall now has a concrete result to put alongside its goals: a 60-point victory over the runner-up, six runners under 15:50 and two performances inside the Trinity/Valkyrie all-time top 100.
And despite accomplishing exactly what they traveled to Louisville to do, Coach Baker said the reaction afterward wasn't satisfaction with a finished product.
“The general consensus from the boys after this is that they are excited but they are motivated to keep working and see what they can achieve.”
For a team that arrived in Kentucky feeling overlooked, Saturday gave Calvert Hall an opportunity to put itself in the conversation. Now the Cardinals get to see where it takes them.
The Statement
It's a nine hour drive from Towson, Maryland to Louisville, Kentucky, and to justify that drive, Calvert Hall was looking for more than just a good race: they went looking to make a statement.
And make a statement they did. Calvert Hall scored 59 points to win the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational, finishing 60 points ahead of runner-up Blacksburg's 119. Harrison was third with 171, followed by Trinity (Louisville) with 172 and St. Xavier with 202.
The Cardinals put six runners under 15:50, their scoring five averaged 15:30.14, and their fifth scorer crossed the line only 38.52 seconds after their first.
