Photo Credit: Rachel Glauber/MileSplit
Bushee vs. Rolly Did Not Disappoint, Plus More From Virginia XC
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Results: Class 6 I Class 5 I Class 4 I Class 3 I Class 2 I Class 1
What better way to finish off a regular season than pit the state's two-best runners against one another.
And in the VHSL Class 6 girls race on Saturday at Oatlands, that's exactly what happened.
It didn't take long for Herndon's Gillian Bushee, who entered undefeated over five races, to find McLean's Thais Rolly, who had lost twice to her in October and November, respectively.
Both knew something had to give.
Rolly had time on her side, having run a faster 5K PR of 16:56 in October. But the Herndon harrier had more wins under her belt, never losing once over the 2022 season.
As the race came down to the wire, perhaps it was that confidence that got the job done, because Bushee pulled away late to seal it, winning her first Virginia title in 18:17.
Rolly was second in 18:45 while West Springfield's Aidan MacGrath, who led her squad to the team title, was third in 18:50.
GIRLS 5000 METER RUN FINALS
PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT POINTS
1 Gillian Bushee 12 Herndon 18:17.00 0
2 Thais Rolly 12 McLean 18:45.00 0
3 Aidan MacGrath 11 West Springfield 18:50.00 1
4 Lila Waters 12 Langley 19:04.00 2
5 Kenza Elakari 12 West Springfield 19:06.00 3
6 Keira Arenholz 9 W.T. Woodson 19:08.00 4
7 Sitota Mesfin 12 Oakton 19:21.00 5
8 Elizabeth Gregory 11 Forest Park 19:26.00 6
9 Adeline Barker 10 West Springfield 19:27.00 7
10 Hazel Calway 10 Langley 19:27.00 8"I had a thought, 'We're all strong. I know we can do this.' I'm feeling it. It hurts," Bushee said. "But if I don't go for it now, I might not go at all. So I went for it. And it worked out."
West Springfield finished with 51 points, dispatching Langely, who was second in 59.
On the boys side, Franklin County's Nathan Atchue (below) fought off South County's Isaac Garcia, winning the Class 6 race by three seconds in 15:43. W.T. Woodson scored the team title with 57 points.
Notes:
- Blacksburg swept both the girls and boys Class 4 titles, scoring 64 and 101 points, respectively. The boys won by just seven points over John Handley, while girls won by four over Atlee.
- Blacksburg's Conner Rutherford also claimed the Class 4 boys title in 15:46
- Deep Run scored the Class 5 girls race with 58 points while Glen Allen won the boys with 53, a full four points out from Clover Hill.
Related Links:
Virginia's complete boys state meet merge
Virginia's complete girls state meet merge
Meet Your State Championship Teams In Virginia
The Scoop:
Page 2: Team Northwest opens up national qualifying
Page 3: The Virginia State Championships didn't disappoint
Page 4: Delaware State Championships were on the calendar
Page 5: Fast and furious rallies at the South Carolina State Championships
Page 6: Big-time moments from the New York State Championships