Power and Precision at Great American XC Festival (Cary, NC)
There's never an easy weekend at WakeMed Park, and in its 27th year, the Great American XC Festival once again lived up to its reputation. More than 4,500 athletes from 17 states lined up across two days of racing, marking the 19th year the event has been hosted at WakeMed.
In one of the weekend's most anticipated matchups, Marcelo Mantecon of Belen Jesuit (FL) successfully defended his title, running 14:39.00 to stay firmly in the national spotlight. Teammate Armando Cruz was fourth in 14:58, helping Belen to a fifth-place team finish with 200 points. The title went to Christ School (NC), whose balanced pack earned 150 points to edge the competition.
Mantecon Won the Biggest XC Meet in the Southeast on his Birthday
Buchholz (FL), led by Demetrie Meyers in 15:24.50, finished ninth, while Oviedo (FL), behind Levi Mollica's 15:40.80, took tenth. IMG Academy, missing standout Matthew Dodds, placed 11th.
On the girls' side, junior Averi Lowen of Bowdon (GA) continued her dominant season with a wire-to-wire win in 16:27.2, one of the fastest marks ever on the WakeMed course, gapping a national caliber field. Her season remains perfect after victories at Bob Blastow, OrthoWest, and Wingfoot. The Garmer twins, Calysta and Jazzlyn of Webb Knoxville (TN), finished second and third in 16:50.0 and 16:50.1, showing why both Furman commits are among the South's top distance talents.