Maryland State XC Championships 2010 Loch Raven’s Ruppel outlasts Bohemia Manor’s Peters

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Loch Raven’s Ruppel outlasts Bohemia Manor’s Peters
Bohemia Manor dominates in team victory

Results Photos More Photos By John Roemer

By Kevin Spradlin
TriStateRunnur.com

PARKTON, Md., Nov. 13 – Emily Ruppel and Jessica Peters have history.

Until Saturday, the most important chapter in that history was last week’s Class 1A North Region showdown in which Peters, a senior at Bohemia Manor, bested Ruppel, a Loch Raven junior.

On Saturday at the Maryland Class 1A state cross country championship, things changed – and for Ruppel, things changed for the better. This time, Ruppel got the best of Peters and won her first cross country state title. She became the third consecutive new runner with the Class 1A title. A runner has not won back-to-back championships since Lauryn MacFawn, of Allegany. MacFawn won three straight from 2005 to 2007.

Ruppel won in 20:30. Peters finished in 20:52 and Cambridge/South Dorchester freshman Jesse Narr was third in 21:09. Smithsburg junior Lauren Johnson placed fourth in 21:11 and Catoctin sophomore Kristen Myers took fifth in 21:29.

Ruppel said she planned to start out rather conservatively. But after a mere 800 meters, some began to pull a little too far away. She went with the lead pack and, at the 1-mile mark, sat three seconds behind Boonsboro sophomore Sarah Zielinski and tied with Oakdale freshman Katherine Edwards with a 6:19 mark.

Emily Ruppel Jessica Peters Jesse Narr Lauren Johnson

The field of 90 runners made a left turn, passing a throng of loud spectators, and headed toward their first descent into the dip.

Edwards and, later, Zielinski, faltered. Ruppel passed both of them as they headed up the dip for the first time.

“I planned on staying with Jessica up until the second mile,” Ruppel said. “But I saw (Zielinski) … pulling away. So I went after her. I guess the rest is history.”

Ruppel hit the two-miel mark in 13:40 – 11 seconds ahead of Peters and 21 seconds ahead of Narr and Loch Raven senior Mary Gauvin. Gauvin finished in sixth in 21:34.

Still, Peters got the best of Ruppel and Gauvin by leading Bohemia Manor to the team title with 55 points. Ruppel, Gauvin and the rest of their Raiders teammates placed a distant second with 100 points. Cambridge-South Dorchester was third with 110 points. Southern Garrett was fourth among 11 complete teams with 127 points and Manchester Valley (133) was fifth.

Like Class 4A state champ Anna Ryba of Whitman, Ruppel said Hereford’s course is a true championship course.

“It’s the epitome of what a cross country course should be,” Ruppel said. “I feel at home here. This is a great course.”