All-Greater Savannah Girls Cross Country Teams and Coach of the Year announced
This season, Steve Ricciardi did more to get his Savannah Arts Academy country teams primed for the state meet at the hilly course in Carrollton.
Comparable hills aren't easy to find around Savannah, so training has included running over a local bridge the past two seasons. They've worked some steeper inclines into their running routes. They've traveled to meets with hillier courses than around the Coastal Empire.
The best way to replicate conditions at the Carrollton course? Go to Carrollton, of course, about 5 hours from Savannah to west of Atlanta.
Ricciardi entered the girls and boys squads in the Carrollton Orthopaedic Invitational on Sept. 11. It was the first time SAA's veteran runners were seeing the state meet course without the pressure of a state meet. New members of the team were seeing it for the first time, period.
They could believe their own eyes instead of getting their intel from older runners with tales to tell of the degree of difficulty.
Awards show: Coastal Empire High School Sports Awards to have live show in Savannah in 2022
"All the rumors get built up, the kids talk about these different parts of the course and they just get embellished year after year," Ricciardi said. "It was huge for them to actually get out there."
The coach said the regular-season meet allowed the runners to analyze the course "a little bit more comfortably."
"It was just amazing to watch them perform with less pressure," Ricciardi said. "After the race, just hearing the upper classmen with confidence state to the underclassmen, 'Man, that course is really not that bad.' Then the underclassmen say, 'OK, that's not that bad.' The expectation has completely shifted. That was cool. That was worth the trip right there."
The SAA girls squad finished ninth of 28 teams in the invitational's championship division, and only two spots below Class 3A power Westminster.
The next trip to Carrollton was for the GHSA state meet on Nov. 5, and the Westminster girls captured the championship with 43 points. SAA, which was ranked third in Class 3A in the state, achieved its long-stated goal of a podium (top-four) finish with 61 points, good for second place.
Ricciardi, in guiding the Panthers to what he believes is the girls program's best finish, is the Savannah Morning News Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year for 2021. He won the same award in 2019, and was the Boys Coach of the Year in 2015.
The first-team selections also are all nominees for the Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year for the Coastal Empire High School Sports Awards, presented by the Georgia Ports Authority, to be held in the spring. It is brought to you with support from Chatham Orthopaedic Associates. The winner will be the announced at the show. More details about the program are coming soon.
During the live show, these nominees will be honored, along with the top three finalists and the player of the year. All official nominees can receive a free ticket. Check back later in the year for information on how to RSVP.
More cross country: All-Greater Savannah Boys Teams and Coach of the Year are announced
The Panthers' top runner, junior Margaret Wade, recalls the exact moment she learned the team had exceeded expectations with second place. She was recovering from the race, having finished third individually in 20 minutes and 1.51 seconds, when she saw Ricciardi hold up the number two.
"That was just such a great moment," said Wade, who said the team had its best season in 2021 after a 2020 campaign when COVID-19 greatly limited the schedule and the team placed seventh at state.
"We stepped up to all of the challenges that were thrown our way," Wade said. "We trained really, really hard and we were really kind of relentless with our training and the stuff outside of training, too. It definitely paid off. We got second at the state meet, which was a big deal."
More Panthers: How the Savannah Arts girls have become one of the top cross country teams in Georgia
She agreed with Ricciardi that it was a big deal to make the run over to Carrollton about two months earlier.
"That was a great experience because, No. 1, it boosted our confidence running against the really, really good teams in the state," Wade said. "We did pretty good, not amazing.
"It's good to have that experience. You see that a lot at the state meet where the freshmen have faster times at other meets (earlier in the season) but the older people, who have run the meet before, end up doing better because they know the course."
Wade, who improved on her finish of 16th (21:54.38) in 2020, was followed by teammate and classmate Lyric Olson in sixth place (20:47.63). The duo has been racing with and against each other since they were much younger. The two of them on the same side makes the Panthers a problem for the opposition.
Roster full of underclassmen
The 2021 squad had lost senior Kate Poppell, one of its top-five runners in recent seasons. She was injured playing soccer and pulled out of the cross country season.
The loss was cushioned by the additions of freshmen Elle Harward-Grant and Ava Thomas, as well as the progress made by juniors Ava Coffey and Camille Arango.
Coffey finished eighth at state (21:05.76), Harward-Grant was 12th (21:33.46) and Arango was 32nd (22:31.52). Thomas wasn't one of the top five scorers but was next in 47th place (23:63.84).
Earlier, at the Region 3-3A meet on Oct. 26 in Statesboro, Savannah Arts won the team crown with a perfect score as the five scoring runners totaled 15 points in placing 1-5.
Thomas finished sixth to keep the Panther parade going that day.
State meet: Richmond Hill boys, Savannah Arts girls have best showings ever at cross country meet
The future also looks bright for Savannah Arts, where Ricciardi will be entering his 11th season coaching the girls squad.
"We're very fortunate to have absolutely everybody coming back on the girls team next year, so that's pretty exciting," he said.
It's a safe bet he will try to come back to Carrollton for regular-season meets next year and whenever possible, given the results in 2021.
All-Greater Savannah teams
The Coastal Empire High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country.
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FIRST TEAM
KENDALL LYNES, Sr., Savannah Christian
Seventh at GHSA Class A Private state meet (20:37.30) on Nov. 5-6 in Carrollton; Won Region 3-A Private on Oct. 27 at Statesboro (19:38.88) as Raiders captured team crown; third at Meet of Champions Open Race on Nov. 13 in Fayetteville, GA (20:13.08); won Savannah Private School Championship (19:57.50) on Oct. 20; won 7th Mile Farm Invitational Oct. 14 at Statesboro (21:15.50); won Hornet Invite@Skidaway Park on Oct. 17 (20:38.46); won SEB Home Meet on Sept. 30 at Statesboro (20:22.60); eighth at Winged Foot on Sept. 24-25 at Cartersville (20:04.10); won Raider Invitational on Sept. 22 (21:25.05); third at Frazier-Hite Invitational on Sept. 2 in Statesboro (21:38.30); won SCPS-SCDS Dual Meet on Aug. 25 (20:54.59). All-Greater Savannah first team in 2020, 2019; second team in 2018.
CANDACE KIEFFER, Sr., Effingham County
Finished 18th at GHSA Class 6A state meet (20:27.08); won Region 2-6A on Oct. 28 at Brunswick (19:58); fourth at Meet of Champions Open Race (20:13.17); second at Wayne County Home Meet #3 (19:51.81); third at Southern GA XC Championship Sept. 23 at Hazlehurst (20:20.25); won Wayne County #1 (19:48.99); fifth at Athens Running Company on Aug. 14 (20:49.22); eighth at USCB High School Invitational on Sept. 4 (21:39.60). All-Greater Savannah first team in 2020 (Girls Runner of the Year), 2019, 2018.
LYRIC OLSON, Jr., Savannah Arts Academy
Sixth at GHSA Class 6A (20:47.63) on Nov. 5-6 in Carrollton as team placed second; second at Region 3-3A on Oct. 26 at Statesboro (20:33.10); third at Wayne County #3 (19:54.46); second at Bleckley County Invitational Oct. 7 at Cochran (21:20.63); second at Honey Ridge on Sept. 23 at Guyton (20:50.31); third at SCCPSS #2 on Sept. 16 (21:22.8); 42nd at Carrollton Orthopaedic (21:18.89); second at Frazier-Hite on Sept. 2 at Statesboro (21:26.00). All-Greater Savannah second team in 2020.
MARGARET WADE, Jr., Savannah Arts
Third at GHSA Class 3A state meet (20:01.51) on Nov. 5-6 as team finished second; won Region 3-3A on Oct. 26 at Statesboro (19:30.00) as team posted perfect 15-point score for title; won Wayne County #3 on Oct. 14 (19:25.21); won Bleckley County Invitational on Oct. 7 at Cochran (20:49.36); won Honey Ridge 5K on Sept. 23 at Guyton (20:07.47); won SCCPSS meet #2 on Sept. 16 (19:25.4); 15th at Carrollton Orthopaedic on Sept. 11 (19:48.26); won Frazier-Hite Invitational on Sept. 2 at Statesboro (19:39.70). All-Greater Savannah first team in 2020, 2019.
JULIA WILSON, So., Richmond Hill
Finished 21st at GHSA Class 6A state meet (20:47.35) as team placed 10th; second at Region 2-6A (20:28) on Oct. 28 as Wildcats won team title; 19th at Winged Foot (20:37.40); 37th at Carrollton Orthopaedic Invitational (21:13.42); ninth at Alexander/Asics on Oct. 2 at Fairburn (20:37.38); second at TraXC (20:21.30) on Oct. 15 at Richmond Hill.
REESE WILSON, Sr., Richmond Hill
Finished 28th at GHSA Class 6A on Nov. 5-6 (20:57.03); third at Region 2-6A (20:36) as RHHS won team title; won TraXC on Oct. 15 at Richmond Hill (19:13.50); ninth at Winged Foot XC Classic on Sept. 24-25 at Cartersville (20:08.10); second at Wayne County #1 (20:11.81); 57th at Carrollton Orthopaedic (21:51.21); third in Girls 6A-7A at Alexander/Asics Invitational on Oct. 2 at Fairburn (20:05.07). All-Greater Savannah first team in 2020, 2019. (No relation to Julia Wilson.)
SECOND TEAM
Camille Arango, Jr., Savannah Arts Academy
Kate Britt, Sr., Savannah Christian
Summer Chirpich, So., Richmond Hill
Ava Coffey, Jr., SAA
Savannah Goode, Jr., RHHS
Elle Harward-Grant, Fr., SAA
Lily McDonald, So., South Effingham
Magdeline Morgan, Fr., SEHS
Melanie Ripley, Sr., SEHS
Cheyenne Ryan, Sr., SEHS
Sarah Jane Schulze, Jr., Savannah Country Day
HONORABLE MENTION
Beach — Sage Wilson
Calvary Day — Katie Crunkleton, Chloe Hoover, Amy Joiner
Effingham County — Shelby Hilton, Brooke Maseda
Islands — Kya Bonds
Jenkins — Chiara Favrin
Richmond Hill — Kyle Kitchens-Hayes, Baleigh Sevier
Savannah Arts Academy — Ava Thomas
Savannah Christian — Angelina Goodman
Savannah Country Day — Claudia Birthisel, Gracie Daters, Eliza Stubbs
South Effingham — Brianna Barber, Mia Fitzpartick, Madison Lockhart
St. Vincent's Academy — Alden Groover
Veritas Academy — Hannah Henderson
Nathan Dominitz is the Sports Content Editor of the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com. Email him at ndominitz@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @NathanDominitz
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA area girls cross country teams, coach of the year awards
