Congratulations to the 2019 girls cross country team who won the 2019 VISAA Division I title last week. O'Connell had four runners at the state race in the top 11, with junior Katherine Slovak finishing in third place with a time of 19:37, and Lizzie Vinci (6th place), Tess Brinkman (7th place) and Alissa Keegan (11th place) not far behind.
"They really ran hard and great," said O'Connell coach Cindy Walls to the Arlington Sun Gazette. "Absolutely, that was their best race of the season."
The O'Connell boys also had a strong finish at the state race, as sophomore Yakob Kelley crossed the line in first place with a time of 16:17. Two other Knights earned All-State times (Ryan Lindley in 9th place and Nick Slovak in 11th), as the team took third place behind St. Christopher's and Collegiate, both out of Richmond.
"Their successes in championship races this year were the result of a great work ethic and a very positive attitude," said Coach Jim Connors. "Six of our top nine runners are sophomores, so we should be even stronger over the next two years."