2009 Girls’ Cross Country Season Review

The girls’ cross country team saw many changes this year with the graduation of four seniors from last season’s state championship team. Despite these changes, the girls still picked up where they left off and had another successful season. They won five out of six invitationals and once again defended their PAC-7 league title with a perfect score of 15; six girls out of a possible eight were awarded First Team All-League honors. Christina Blair was voted as the MVP for the league for her undefeated season. Since joining the PAC-7 in 2001, the girls have been undefeated in league competition.
As the team entered the post season, they knew their goal of defending the state title would be quite a challenge. The Royals started the district meet seven girls: senior captain Ana Lewison; senior and first-time cross country runner Erin Craig; juniors Irene Frangos, Joy Talbott, and Christina; sophomore Laura Rybka; and the lone freshman in the top seven, Mallory Myers. The girls won the District Meet and headed to Regionals where they took the runner-up spot and qualified to the State Meet for the tenth straight year.
The team ran a good race but fell just short of their goal, placing third overall. The highlight of the meet was Christina winning the individual state title to go along with her district and regional titles. She joins Amy Arnold and Katie Gillespie as individual title winners. Only one other school has had three different girls win individual titles since Ohio started the girls’ state tournament in 1978.
This year’s team, which had a record of 160-4, was the largest ever with twenty girls running. With five of the top seven returning next year, the goal once again will be to bring that title back to CVCA. Irene, the teams’ devotional leader this season, took the team through the book of Ephesians. An important Bible verse for the team was Ephesians 4:16: “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Each girl took this verse to heart and demonstrated the love and teamwork of the body of Christ throughout the year.