The Wakefield Cross Country team is coming off its best season in 15 years, with the boys team placing 4th at the District Championship and qualifying for the 2024 Regional Championship meet. The girls team moved up in the standings, placing 6th, for the first time since Wakefield was promoted to Class 6 in 2018. The Cross Country team also has a new coach, in Andrew Carnahan, a former Division 1 Track & Field All-American at the University of Virginia. Coach Carnahan joined the Wakefield track program at the start of the Indoor Track season in 2024 and his impact was massive.
By the end of the Outdoor Track season, there were more Regional and State qualifiers in one year for Wakefield than ever, and all of the returning athletes for this year are hungry for more. Captain Albert Lutz (‘26) says that, “this is the best team that Wakefield Cross Country has ever had and I am confident in our ability to win our District Championship and qualify for the State Championship as a team.” Girls team Captain Eulalia Sarli (‘26) believes that, “our potential this year is better than ever and if we don’t have our whole team qualify for Regionals, I’m confident in us to have some individuals qualify.”
The season opener meet at the Monroe Parker Invitational was a great first meet for the team that featured PRs from boys varsity runners, Ian Maguire (‘26), Nathaniel Knauer (‘28), Kai Simkiss (‘27), as well as girls team PRs from Aila Simkiss (‘29), Roxanne Carnahan (‘29) and Amelia Young (‘28). Additionally, it was a great experience for the first-time Cross Country runners to get a taste of what racing feels like. After the Braddock Relays Invitational, which served as the second race for the team that featured a 5x2500m relay for both the boys and girls teams, there are signs for huge progress to be seen across the season. The girls team placed 5th out of 36, led by strong lead and anchor legs from AJ Jordan (‘26) and Aila Simkiss (‘29). The boys team finished 8th out of 43, supported by a strong start from Ian Maguire (‘26) and strong finish from me, Andrew Coe (‘26), fending off the anchor legs from Marshall and Lake Braddock. I am a Captain and I think that this is the only Cross Country Team I’ve been on that has had the potential to win our County and District Championships as well as qualify for States, so naturally, that has been our goal from the start and I believe we can do it.
The Oatlands Invitational is up next for the team on Saturday, September 27th, which will be a great opportunity for each athlete to see their progress halfway through the season at a difficult course. Soon after, on Tuesday, September 30th is the Arlington County XC Championships. This is the first championship meet of the season for the Warriors and after a very solid few weeks of training in between races, the team is eager to face some fierce competition and come out on top.
We’ll see YOU at Bluemont Park on September 30th at 4:30pm to cheer on the Wakefield Cross Country Warriors at the County Championships!