The Potomac School Panthers girls cross-country team last Thursday (Nov. 7) placed second in Virginia’s Division I private-school competition on the 5,000-meter Panorama Farms course near Charlottesville.
The Collegiate School of Richmond won the high-school meet with 49 points. Potomac School had 98.
Potomac School repeated the team’s second-place 2023 finish in the competition despite having just three runners who had competed in last year’s state meet.
“It was a great moment for the team,” Potomac School head girls coach Bridget Gagne said. “We were a young team with a reboot from last year, and the runners really were excited going into the meet. We knew it would be close for second, third and fourth place, and we hoped to be in the top four.”
Gagne said the Panthers were able to finish second because the runners recognized and trusted their preparation for the race by running as they had all season.
“Most everyone stuck to the plan,” Gagne said. “It was a big team effort.”
The Panthers’ top finisher was sophomore Sabrina Anderson, also a girls basketball standout at the school, in 11th in 20:45.89.
Rose Barabanov, another sophomore, was 16th (21:10.17), freshman Elizabeth Widor 17th (21:10.77), junior Avery Miller 25th (21:53.42) and freshman Quinn Brundage 29th (22:09.35).
Sophomore Ella Lu was 32nd (22:18.78) and senior Isabella Song was 44th (22:344). The team’s other senior in the race was Charlotte Gabriel.
Although Potomac School has never won a Division I state cross-country title, the Panthers in 2006 finished first in the Division II meet before moving up to Division I. The divisions are based on a school’s enrollment.
