Hoggard girls capture 4A cross country state title
Cover photo courtesy of Dan Loughlin of NCRunners.com
The Hoggard girls cross country team made history on Saturday by becoming the first Wilmington program to capture a NCHSAA state title in the sport.
Thanks to five finishers in the top 34, the Vikings finished with 87 points. West Forsyth was second with 108 points, while Laney was fifth (166) and Ashley was seventh (195).
“States was always in my mind and we’re always happy just to be there, but this year I knew it could be different,” Hoggard coach Rhonda Schilawski said. “The girls handled the pressure really, really well and I think a key reason for that was because they focused on one meet at a time.”
Freshman Molly Parker was Hoggard’s top finisher. [Tim Hower/Coastal Preps]
Hoggard also got a 26th-place finish from freshman Shea Hoffacker (19:42.27) as well as a 34th-place finish from senior Jenna Pellizzari (19:49.78). Junior Erin Johnston also went sub-20 minutes to finish 38th in 19:52.60.
“We’ve been focused on the team mentality and in previous years we’ve had one, two or three runners under 20, but getting all of them to do it on the same day was always a challenge,” Schilawski said. “This year, every week the girls have brought it to another level.
“The message today was not to let other teams get between you and your teammates and they did that. They were all in sight of each other and that definitely made the difference.”
The state championship is the first for the school since the football team won the 4A title in 2007. Hoggard’s other team state titles are in baseball (1972), boys golf (1993) and girls golf (1974, 1976, 1977 and 1978).
The Vikings began their terrific postseason run by winning the Mideastern Conference title by 15 points over Ashley on October 24. At last weekend’s 4A East Regional, the team had five runners in the top 13 to cruise to a 28-point victory over Laney.
“This year I really wanted them to excel in the latter part of the season, so I shifted workouts and saw the big picture, Schilawski said. “The other teams in our area have also been a big help. To be surrounded by greatness, everyone is forced to up their game and it is very motivating to have some of the best competition be right down the road.”
Ashley’s Paxton Chitty finished sixth. [Tim Hower/Coastal Preps]
Laney got an eight-place finish from freshman Olivia Bufalini, who crossed the finish line in 18:55.97. Sister Olivia Bufalini, a junior, was 24th with a time of 19:39.38.
Freshman Isabella Borelli (32nd in 19:48.36) and senior Caroline Locklear (47th in 20:00.14) also had solid performances for the Buccaneers.
