Leah Stephens claims big-time duel with Thais Rolly
- - -
Event Race Results I Race Videos/Interviews I Photos
Perhaps Leah Stephens wanted to stake her claim in a competitive South Region.
If that were the objective at the MileStat Invitational, the Our Lady of Good Counsel senior certainly met it on Saturday, surging past defending champion Thais Rolly to win in a new course record of 16:54.00.
Rolly followed in 16:56.00.
In fact, both Stephens and Rolly, the McLean (VA) High School senior and Duke University commit, shattered that previous mark, becoming the 12th and 13th girls to go under 17 minutes for 5K on the season.
The previous course record mark was 17:28.00, and its was last achieved by Rolly, who set the mark in 2021. Historically, both Stephens and Rolly were 35 and 33 seconds faster than the course record.
But, as was reported in the boys rundown, ideal conditions met runners on Saturday.
Not only did Stephens and Rolly break that course record, but so too did Jefferson Forest's Zoie Lamanna, who went 17:28.00. The Covenant School's Maddie Gardiner was fourth in 17:36 while Bishop O'Connell's Molly Weithman was fifth in 17:41.00.
A total of 11 girls broke 18 minutes on the day.
| PLACE | ATHLETE | TEAM | RESULT | POINTS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leah Stephens | 12 | Our Lady Of Good Counsel | 16:54.00 | 0 | ||
| 2 | Thais Rolly | McLean | 16:56.00 | 1 | |||
| 3 | Zoie Lamanna | 11 | Jefferson Forest | 17:28.00 | 2 | ||
| 4 | Maddie Gardiner | 11 | The Covenant School | 17:36.00 | 3 | ||
| 5 | Molly Weithman | 11 | Bishop O'Connell | 17:41.00 | 0 | ||
| 6 | Alli Crytser | 12 | Hanover | 17:43.00 | 4 | ||
| 7 | Reese Dalton | 11 | The Covenant School | 17:44.00 | 5 | ||
| 8 | Sidney Walters | 12 | Deep Run | 17:53.00 | 6 | ||
| 9 | Meredith Gotzman | 12 | St. John's College High School | 17:54.00 | 7 | ||
| 10 | Elly Velasquez | 10 | Glen Allen High School | 17:57.00 | 8 | ||
| 11 | Makaleigh Jessee | 12 | Abingdon High School | 17:58.00 | 9 | ||
| 12 | Ryann Aycock | 12 | Cary Christian | 18:00.00 | 0 | ||
| 13 | Sadie Adams | 10 | Western Albemarle | 18:00.00 | 10 | ||
| 14 | Ina Lazarczyk | 10 | Cardinal Gibbons | 18:02.00 | 11 | ||
| 15 | Lauren Pegher | 11 | Tabb | 18:04.00 | 0 | ||
- - -
Cardinal Gibbons, one of North Carolina's top teams, scored the overall team victory with 114 points, scoring three girls in the top 31 to sport an 18:45 average.
Western Albemarle was second (143) and St. John's College was third (179).
| PLACE | TEAM | POINTS | SCORERS | TIMES | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardinal Gibbons | 114 | 11+20+23+29+31 (32+56) | 1:01 1-5 Split | 18:45 Avg | |||
| 2 | Western Albemarle | 143 | 10+19+26+43+45 (81+95) | 1:26 1-5 Split | 18:55 Avg | |||
| 3 | St. John's College High School | 179 | 7+22+44+48+58 (89+178) | 1:41 1-5 Split | 19:02 Avg | |||
| 4 | Deep Run | 195 | 6+34+35+53+67 (86+125) | 1:50 1-5 Split | 19:06 Avg | |||
| 5 | Blacksburg High School | 221 | 17+25+30+73+76 (93+138) | 1:16 1-5 Split | 19:14 Avg | |||
The Scoop:
Page 6: Karrie Baloga drops the first 160-plus speed rating of the season
