Lynnhaven Participates in VISA State Cross Country Championships

Jaylen ('26) crosses the finish line at the VISAA XC State Championship Meet on November 10th.

Orange, VA - On November 11th, the Lynnhaven School Lynx Cross Country team closed out their season after competing in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) State Cross Country Championship Meet. Runners from independent schools all across the commonwealth gathered at Woodberry Forest School, located in Orange, VA, to compete in the tri-division meet. Lynnhaven, a division III school, was represented by four runners, all of which ran their hearts out throughout the season.

The Lynnhaven Lynx cross country team opened their season on Saturday, September 10th at Pole Green Park located in Mechanicsville, VA for the Pole Green Park XC Classic, hosted by Mechanicsville High School. Over 60 teams across the commonwealth competed in the high school division from Lynnhaven. Team veterans Jaylen Hayes (FR) and Kevin Ellis (SR) led the Lynx. Hayes completed his race with a time of 24:49.3. Ellis made his competitive cross country debut with a time of 28:28. 6. In the middle school division and also first time cross country athlete, Charlie (Row) Petres (8th GR), completed the race with a time of 24.55.0. 

In their final regular season meet of the year, the Lynnhaven Lynx Cross Country team put their best foot forward, with all runners holding a previous meet time shattering their personal records. The Milestat Cross Country Invitational was the largest meet in the state of Virginia for the weekend, with over 1,400 students competing. Athletes for Lynnhaven included middle school runners Charlie Petres and James McRae who competed in the 4k event. This meet marked McRae’s competitive cross country debut while Petres set a new personal record with a time of 23:35:00. In the high school division and 5k event Kevin Ellis, Jaylen Hayes, and Ellington Burnette represented Lynnhaven. This would be  Burnettes’s competitive cross country debut while Ellis and Hayes posted new personal records with times of 26:07:00 and 23:44:00 respectively as they prepared for the VISAA State Championships.  
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The Lynx Cross Country team traveled to Orange, VA on November 10th. Tropical Storm Ian caused a last minute schedule change and moved the meet a day early. High school athletes, Jaylen Hayes (FR) and Ellington Burnette (JR) ran 24:16.60 and 26:22.10 respectively. Middle school athletes Charlie Petres (8th GR) and James McRae (8th GR) posted their first competitive 5k race times. Their times, and official personal records were 30:20.00 and 35:33.10 respectively. When asked what it was like competing at the state level, McRae stated, “I was very tired from the hilly terrain but it felt good to finish such a competitive race.” Senior runner, Kevin Ellis, suffered a mid-season injury that prevented him from being able to compete, but when asked how cross country challenged him this season he replied, “cross country challenged him physically and especially mentally by trying to stay in a positive mindset when practice and meets were tough.” The 2022-2023 XC season served as a first time coaching experience in the sport for head coach Marika Kidd, and assistant coach Mitchell Imbriani, who look forward to new and returning faces next fall.