On Oct. 5, the Highlander cross country team went to North Carolina to compete in the Great American XC Festival. This was the first out-of-state meet of the season, with over 100 teams participating from all over the country.

“The meet was huge with thousands of runners,” junior Carter Lineweaver said. “The course is really nice, and the competition is great. It’s an overall great experience for the team.”

On the junior varsity team, numerous runners placed in the top 100 of their 5K races. Junior Tommy Milward placed 15th, junior Vikram East placed 39th, and freshmen Bryce Yang and Jackson Winn placed 85th and 86th. On the girls side, sophomore Mila Adams placed 25th, senior Mya Berusch placed 26th, freshman Sarah Thomas placed 64th, and junior Sophie Hinton placed 79th among many other runners that competed.

On the varsity side, junior Dani Diaz placed 57th for the girls, and Lineweaver placed 81st for the boys. Not only did Lineweaver run an exceptional race, but he added something more special to his portfolio.

“I ran a lot faster than I have before placing 2nd in school history in the 5K,” Lineweaver said. “As for the team, we looked very solid overall which was great to see.”

The team looks forward to two more district meets on Oct. 9 and 15 before the final meet of the season at the Virginia XC Showcase on Oct. 19.

“Everyone on the team knows that this is one of the best teams we have had in a long time,” Lineweaver said. “We have a great shot at bringing a district championship to McLean.”