RVA Relays: boys recap
RVA Relays: boys recap
Cross Country Teams Head to Virginia for RVA Relays
The trip to Virginia for the RVA Relays was a successful one for the Cherokee Boys team! Our last overnight trip, which was pre-covid in 2019, was to this same event. That year, the B team placed 3rd in their race with a time of 40:35 and the A team was nipped at the line by Deep Creek High School (the Virginia 5A state champions). With both teams timed in 36:59 to establish a new course record, which held up for the next four years . . . but not for a fifth . . .
The first race of the day was the boys B/C race which had over 80 teams entered. Our B-team consisted of Sophomore, Sean Sooy, Sophomore, Gavin Danielewicz, Senior, Anthony DiBattista, Sophomore, Leo Vyvyan and Senior, Tate Midora. Sean got things going in a big way with his lead-off split of 7:19, faster than the average time of our 2019 A-team’s course record! He handed off with a big lead, which continued to grow over the next four legs. Gavin - 8:05, Anthony - 7:42, Leo - 8:10, and Tate - 7:31, brought us home 35 seconds ahead of runner-up, Salesianum of Delaware! Our total time of 38:50 was a new B-race course record, topping the old record of 39:12 set by Deep Creek High School in 20:15! In the same race, our C team also ran well! Liam Daimler, 12, Evan Amato, 9, Max Harada, 10, Trayce Slumsky, 9, and Jack Finley, 10, finished 32nd out of 89 teams, ninth in the C-division!
Next up was the open race for individuals who were not on an A, B or C team. It was a huge field, so much so that they divided it into two races with teams A through L in the first race and M through Z in the second. Charlie Wasserott, 11, was our top finisher, placing 46th in his race, out of 217 runners, and 100th overall out of 417! Right behind Charlie was senior, Sam Wright, who placed 47th in his race and 103rd overall!
At 7:50 PM, with the course lit by portable lights, the championship race went off, with 58 teams, including four of the top nine ranked teams in Virginia. Senior, Liam Tindall, led off with a 7:17 split that put the team in eighth place at the hand-off, 16 seconds behind the leader. Sophomore, Ben Realley, went out very aggressively and, 1200 meters in was already in the lead. Although he was over-extended and hurting, Ben held on over the last half of the race to hand off in a tie for second, one tick behind the lead team, with a split of 7:15! Sophomore, Logan Bromley, ran a very controlled first mile which had him several seconds behind the leader. However, he finished with a super fast last 800, not only taking the lead but giving us a 13 second buffer on the second place team with a split of 7:14!
Senior, Enzo Corona, ran the fourth leg and did a great job for keeping focused and pushing himself the whole way, even though he was running alone for all of it. With his split of 7:17, he extended the lead to 34 seconds when he handed off to our anchor leg, freshman, Jack Tindall! With the win already secured, the only question left was how much under the old course record we would run. The answer? 46 seconds! Splitting 7:09, Jack crossed the line in 36:13 to obliterate the record and lead four other teams under 37:00! To put this in perspective, it is notable that the 2019 Cherokee team, whose record they broke (by 46 seconds), went on to win the NJ Group 4 State Championship and finished fourth at the State Meet of Champions! The season is just getting started, and there is a long way to go, but this team is showing that they have what it takes to compete with the best teams out there!
Fundraising Goals
It is the mission of 4xAlumni to support the current crop of track and field and cross country athletes.
We are focusing on 5 major areas that we feel, with the support of the coaches, are important for this generation of student-athletes:
Offset or completely cover the cost of post-season events not sponsored by the school. This includes National Meets (cross country, indoor and outdoor track) and invitationals (Oregon, etc).
Award scholarships for deserving seniors.
Provide State Champions and School Record holders with gifts.
Support families with athletes who would like to attend a cross country camp but cannot afford it.
Provide funding for athletes needing physiotherapy who cannot afford it.
We currently only have the availability to collect funds via Venmo, but we are actively seeking ways to collect via credit card, Zelle, PayPal, and other forms to accommodate the ecosystem in 2024.
During the months of September, October and November, we will be collecting funds that will directly contribute to funding for cross country post-season meets. Please consider donating to help fund our scholarship money.
Venmo: @ Cherokee4xalumni
About 4xAlumni
We are a non-profit organization with volunteer board members that seek to help provide funds that go directly to the current team. Our mission is:
to provide funding for travel and lodging to championship meets not covered by the school.
to provide scholarships to graduating seniors.
to provide recognition and awards to State Champion winners and new School Record holders.
to provide funding for current athletes who need assistance attending cross country camp.
to provide funding for current athletes who need assistance seeking treatment from injuries related to track/cross country.
Our Board
President: Jeff Storch ‘99
Vice President: Michelle (Bilicki) Wolosky ‘00
Secretary and Treasurer: Caitlin (O’Malley) Bertheaud ‘05
Social Media & Communication: Lisa Burkholder ‘06
Marketing & Fundraising: Marc Pelerin ‘02
Event Coordinator: Tim Haggerty ‘96
Team Liaison: Dave Sitzer ‘00
Voting Members: Joe Halin ‘00 & Sunny Patel ‘96
Venmo: @ Cherokee4xalumni