It Was Wando-Time In South Carolina
- - -
Results: Boys AAAAA I Girls AAAAA
Jake Liebert hadn't lost to a single peer in South Carolina this fall.
On Thursday, he wasn't going to let that fact change at the SCHSL Class AAAAA Championships in Columbia.
The fast-rising Wando (SC) High School star continued his ascent up the South Carolina charts in the Class 5A race, running away from his competitors en route to his second straight state title in 15:13.92.
"Going into today, it was run fast, win, as a team and as an individual, and it's just like, this is what we've been working for all year as a team," Liebert said. "It's been my goal, ever since I came to Wando, and it's a dream come true to win both."
The win officially closed off a spectacular regular season for Liebert, who clocked two performances under 15 minutes for 5K this fall, including the ninth-fastest in South Carolina history in 14:54.60 -- which was third-fastest in the junior class in the state's history.
Earlier in the season, he had only lost to Rocky Hansen, a state champion in North Carolina and a national title-hopeful, and Patrick Koon, a Florida state champion and one of the top juniors in the country.
The final straightaway saw Liebert pump up the crowd and fly into the finish, as if he were closing off a 200 meter sprint.
"I was just having a good time, I was taking it all in," he said. "It was a big moment. I wanted to make sure everyone was involved and get everyone excited."
His performance on Saturday in Columbia was ninth-best on the Sandhills Research Center course all-time, too.
Better yet, Liebert led Wando to a state title with 41 points and a 16:03 average. He was followed in third and fourth by teammates Brendan Gomez and Tanner Jelliff, respectively.
SCHSL AAAAA TEAM SCORES
PLACE TEAM POINTS SCORERS TIMES
1 Wando 41 1+3+4+13+20 (40+75) 1:27 1-5 Split | 16:03 Avg
2 Fort Mill 79 7+9+10+18+35 (58+77) 0:53 1-5 Split | 16:30 Avg
3 Nation Ford 91 2+11+19+21+38 (44+50) 1:32 1-5 Split | 16:30 Avg
4 Dorman 118 6+8+16+33+55 (82+103) 1:18 1-5 Split | 16:43 Avg
5 J.L. Mann 153 5+22+25+41+60 (62+70) 1:30 1-5 Split | 16:56 AvgThe Class AAAAA girls race saw three girls under 19 minutes on the course, two of which were major underclassmen.
Fort Mill freshman Alivia Cleveland scored the overall win in 18:30.78, while J.L. Mann senior Kennedy Roush was second in 18:37.91 and eighth-grader Kendra Miles of Lexington was third in 18:59.86.
Miles' Lexington squad was dominant, scoring 62 points to claim the team title and the only average under 20 minutes in 19:49.
5A GIRLS 5000 METER RUN FINALS
PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT POINTS
1 Alivia Cleveland 9 Fort Mill 18:30.78 1
2 Kennedy Roush 12 J.L. Mann 18:37.91 2
3 Kendra Miles 8 Lexington HS 18:59.86 3
4 Mia Royall 11 Nation Ford 19:12.77 4
5 Abigail White 11 Chapin 19:19.26 5
6 Sofie Kurzawa 12 J.L. Mann 19:20.94 6
7 Lydia Metz 10 Lexington HS 19:45.58 7
8 Avery Moriarty 9 Fort Mill 19:50.40 8
9 Laurel Walls 10 Lexington HS 19:51.46 9
10 Reagan Cooke 11 Mauldin 19:51.94 10
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