Local cross country programs compete in first meet
Sep. 2—HILLSBOROUGH — Three local cross country programs opened up their season on Tuesday, competing in the Triangle North Athletic Conference meet at Eno River Academy in Hillsborough.
Vance Charter, Henderson Collegiate and Oxford Prep participated in the meet, hoping to kick off their season in positive fashion.
In total, seven schools were represented with Oxford Prep competing with lone individual Zackery Maciejewski, who finished with a time of 42:31.
Vance Charter entered the meet with high expectations, returning senior Dominick Abate, who in 2021 became the first ever Knight to qualify for the N.C. High School Athletic Association championship meet.
The standout performer also won the Triangle North Athletic Conference individual title, setting the bar high for his final season in Henderson.
The Knights cruised to a third-place finish in the season-opening event, tallying 80 points.
Abate impressed as expected, recording a time of 19:19, good for third overall out of 63 participants.
Vance Charter represented 20% of the top 30 runners in the event, with six of their nine runners impressing in their top-three finish.
Senior Christian Bean, a leader on the Knights' roster, finished 16th in the meet, turning in a time of 24:22.
Fellow Knights Henry Hall and Jahlanie Scotland followed right behind Bean, finishing 17th and 18th overall, respectively. Hall posted a time of 24:37, while Scotland finished two seconds behind with a time of 24:39.
Caden Coghill and Jacob Paynter both finished inside the top 30, a strong start for what looks to be a promising season for Vance Charter.
With both Abate and Bean improving throughout the season and mentoring the youth on the roster, the Knights will be a threat in the TNAC and at the state level.
Henderson Collegiate, who did not field a full cross country program in 2021, returned to the course as a team on Tuesday for the first time in two years. They finished sixth in the conference meet, compiling 152 points.
The Pride produced 10 runners, with their top five finishes going towards their team score.
Tamu Pation was the lone team member to complete the course inside the top-30, recording an eighth place finish with a time of 21:11.
Jason Dominguez tallied a 31st place finish and Ja'Mir Parham was in 48th place, the second and third best performances by the Pride.
Pation proved his ability in Tuesday's race and is poised to be the leader on a Henderson Collegiate roster that looks to improve.
Inexperience can be seen early on in the season, but behind Pation's talent and the growth of the young roster, the Pride can be competitive in the TNAC.
Voyager Academy earned first place in the season-opening meet with Karl Davis taking the top spot with a time of 19:02.
On the girls' side, both Henderson Collegiate and Oxford Prep sent four runners to the meet, unable to qualify for a team finish.
Lily Bailess led the Griffins, recording a 13th place finish with a time of 28:40. Susannah Hall joined Bailess in completing the course inside the top 30.
For the Pride, Halimatou Maiga was one spot behind Hall and was the first Henderson Collegiate participant to complete the 3.1 mile run. Leah St. Sing, Emily Juarez, and Laila Ruffin followed shortly behind Maiga, finishing 33rd, 35th, and 36th, respectively.
All three programs on the boys' side will return to action on Sept. 6 in the second TNAC meet of the season when Excelsior Classical Academy plays host in Durham.
