Girls Cross Country
On Friday, Nov. 11, the Bishop O'Connell girls cross country team topped off their 2016 season by capturing the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association (VISAA) title. Running on a course at Fork Union Military Academy, senior Isabell Baltimore crossed the finish line in 2nd place with a time of 19:44. She was followed closely by teammate, sophomore Maddie Fleenor, who finished 5th with a time of 20:11. Sophomore Maggi Flood and junior Grace Pulliam finished in just over 21 minutes, and all four had times that qualified them for All-State recognition.
The Lady Knights finished 31 points ahead of 2nd place team, Collegiate School from Richmond. O'Connell was missing their #3 and #5 runners, who were both sidelined with injuries.
"They ran their hearts out," said head coach Cindy Walls, who was recognized at the meet as the winningest girls cross country coach in the state meet's history. She has coached seven O'Connell teams to the championship.
Read more about the cross country win from the Arlington Sun Gazette.
Volleyball
The next day, O'Connell's volleyball team capped off their season by winning the VISAA title in a 3-1 game over Flint Hill. The championship game was played in Petersburg, Va., with the Lady Knights winning the first two sets, before dropping a close third set, 27-25. The fourth set was a nail-biter, with the Knights prevailing, 28-27, and giving O'Connell the victory over the #1 seed Huskies.
The Knights earned their way to the championship game by defeating St. Anne's – Belfield (3-0) in the quarterfinals, and then Bishop Ireton (3-0) in the semifinals.
Extra reasons for celebration came during the state tournament when seniors Maxine Friedman and Sarah Lawler each reached their 1000th kill in their high school careers. Maxine's came during the semifinal game on Friday, while Sarah's was reached on Saturday in the third set of the championship game.
"Winning the state championship has been this team's goal all year," said Head Coach Mehdi El Alaoui. "They knew it wouldn't be easy to beat Flint Hill, but everyone was focused on making it happen."
Read more and see photos from the VISAA volleyball championship from the Arlington Sun Gazette.