Chapel Hill sweeps Big 8 cross country team championships

Ian Elliot of Cedar Ridge and Chapel Hill's Katherine Dokhoylan each won individual titles at Wednesday's Big 8 Conference championship meet, while Chapel Hill's dominance in the team standings just whetted the Tigers' appetites for more.

Running for the first time this season at Northwood High School's course, Chapel Hill won all four championships in the varsity and JV events for boys and girls.

Elliot, a junior, had won “a few times at home” during the dual-meet season, he said, but Wednesday's win, with his season's best time of 16:53.34, gave him his first conference title.

Hunter Spitzer of Orange (17:04.62) passed Chapel Hill's Eric Vanderford (17:05.59) in the 5K's last 300 meters for second.

The three had stayed close throughout the first 4,000 meters, then Elliott made his move in the last set of woods just before the leaders emerged onto the Northwood track.

“I hadn't wanted to take the lead too early,” Elliott said. “I didn't think I had the energy for that.”

Vanderford's third-place led Chapel Hill's boys to 35 points and the team victory in a close race with Orange, which had 46 points. Cedar Ridge (69) was third, followed by Northwood (87) and Oxford Webb (149).

Orange placed Spenser Husen (17:12.28) in fourth place and Danny Archibald (17:29.78) in eighth, but Chapel Hill out-pointed the Panthers with all five Tiger scorers placing in the top 10 – including Max Blackburn (17:23.69) in sixth, Ryan Combs (17:26.44) in seventh, Nat Romaine (17:31.88) in ninth and Ben Campbell (17:44.09) 10th.

The Chapel Hill girls were even more impressive, taking places 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 for 16 points, compared to 62 for runnerup Orange and 79 for Cedar Ridge. Northwood (85) was fourth and Webb (152) fifth.

Chapel Hill's females stayed together for at least 2,500 meters, with Dokhoylan (19:11.25) in front most of the way. About midway through the race she pulled slightly ahead of eventual runnerup Marija Crook (19:16.15) and Clare McNamara (19:29.84).

Running one of her best races of the year, Chapel Hill coach Joan Nesbitt Mabe said, Maeve Gualtieri-Reed (20:02.38) hung close with the leaders and finished fourth, while teammate Madi Marvin (20:09.34) placed sixth. Liz Zarzar of Cedar Ridge (20:04.75) took fifth to prevent Chapel Hill from recording a perfect score.

“It turned out pretty much like we expected. We ran as a pack and did well,” Dokhoylan said.

Since they weren't familiar with Northwood’s terrain, Chapel Hill's harriers turned in only a few personal bests, but they gained experience running on the course that will host the NCHSAA 3A Mideast regional on Oct. 31, Dokhoylan said.

“This is what sets the mood for the championship season,” Dokhoylan said. “This should give us some momentum heading into regionals and states.”

The Chapel Hill junior varsities swept their races with both scoring perfect 15s for winning the top five places.

“Our girls had a great day, and our boys had a really good day, too,” Nesbit Mabe said. “But the stars of the day were Orange's boys. They had a great day, and they look like they can make states. I want to be as hungry as Orange when we get to the regionals.”

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 8:09 PM with the headline "Chapel Hill sweeps Big 8 cross country team championships."