In their final competitions of the 2014 season, the WolfPack boys and girls cross-country teams traveled to the challenging Carrollton High School course on Saturday afternoon for the state cross-country championships. The fact that both teams had qualified for the state meet was historic for Whitefield, as was the fact that a sister-brother duo – senior Whitney and freshman Brooks Merkle - were both competing in the same state meet.
Coming off their recent region championship, in which six of Whitefield’s seven girls had season-best performances, the WolfPack girls finished 12th in the Class 1A team standings at
the state meet. The girls were led by senior Gabby Boswell, who finished 54th in a state championship field of 118 runners, with a time of 23:47. The next four finishers were Whitefield’s contingent of strong freshmen including Maggie Heiskell, Ryan Llewellyn, Grace Kistulinec, and Grace Blair. The team was rounded out by Whitney Merkle and sophomore Kate Taylor.
The boys team finished seventh in the Class 1A championship, matching its seventh place team finish in 2012. Senior Robby Keough led the way for Whitefield, with a second place finish in a field of 115 runners, with a time of 17:01. Brooks Merkle finished in 13th place, with a solid time of 18:16. The next two Whitefield finishers were senior Jake Fikse and freshman Nicholas Harris; they were followed by juniors Kerry Martin and Kalen Tavassoli and sophomore Brian Pickens.
For the second consecutive year, Robby finished second to Galloway’s long-distance star, Reilly Friedman. Robby has committed to run for the University of Virginia next year and will return to the track for Whitefield next spring, in hopes of defending his state championships in the 1600m and 800m runs.
For both cross-country teams, a strong nucleus of underclassmen are expected to return for Whitefield next year. Congratulations to Coaches Paul Alar, Jim Heiskell, and our boys and girls on a truly unforgettable 2014 season!