Howard, Severna Park Girls Entered for East Coast XC Champs

Photos by Craig Amoss

During a fall season in which many states around the country did not hold officially sanctioned sports competition (or did so in reduced capacity), many organizations have stepped up to provide the top teams and individuals opportunities to go head-to-head in creative ways. Last weekend the XC Town Meet of Champions was held in Terra Haute, Indiana, and the Severna Park boys - as well as a handful of other Maryland individuals - traveled to the Midwest for the opportunity to put their training to the test (the Severna Park boys finished sixth overall in the championship race).

In two weeks' time the Garden State Track Club will host the East Coast Cross Country Championships in Holmdel, NJ. Like the XC Town Meet of Champions the race will feature competition from up and down the east coast, as far south as Virginia and as far north as Rhode Island. Unlike the Meet of Champions, the East Coast Championships feature just two 125-person races, meaning entries were limited.

Entries were released for the girls championship race on Wednesday, and two teams from Maryland - Howard and Severna Park (competing as Running Lions and SPXC Club, respectively) - have been accepted. There may be no better duo of teams to represent the state at such a meet, as the two teams finished first and second, respectively, both at last year's 4A state meet and in our 2019 end-of-season power rankings.

Runners from both teams have been active this season at open meets around the state like the Central Maryland and Charm City series, and this final meet should provide a good measure of where Maryland's top two teams stack up both against each other and against other top teams in the area. It could even be a 4A state preview heading into a cross country season that is currently tentatively scheduled for the first portion of the second semester.

Note: Bel Air High School's Elizabeth Pickett is also entered as one of the 41 individuals accepted into the championship race.