(Courtesy/ Chris Heerman’18)

On Saturday, October 20, the Vikings competed in districts at Hilliard Darby. The top 28 runners for girls individually moved on to regionals, while the boys were split into two race sections, with the top 6 in our boys section automatically advancing, with the rest depending on times. The top 6 teams for girls also earned berths to regionals, while the top 3 in our boys section did as well. 

 Junior Luke Nester leds the boys squad and placed 2nd with a 16:40. Not far behind was senior Charlie Sabgir, who clocked in at 17:08 and placed 5th, both individually qualifying for regionals. Jake Huddleston’21 placed 24th, finishing at 18:25. The pack of sophomores Cyrus Richardson, Peter Heermann, and junior Alex O’Connor all came in at similar times, placing 33, 34 and 36, helping the Vikes earn 3rd and advance to next week.

The duo of Annalise Grammel’20 and Regan Cornelius’21 proved their dominance, racingto 8th and 9th, with Cornelius’21 clocking in only six seconds behind Grammel’s 19:26 finish. Seniors Whitney Hannallah and Rachel Raque raced alongside sophomore Janet Li, contributing to the team’s strong performance with all runners going sub 27 minutes. Unfortunately, our girls were 12th out of 18, missing qualifying for regionals as a team. However, Academy will send on Grammel and Cornelius as individuals.

Our boys, along with Cornelius and Grammel look to reach states on Saturday, October 26, at Pickerington North.