Heritage’s Boys, Girls Dominate Meet at Oatlands

Senior Fought Pain To Take First Place

By Carl Little

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Even before he stepped to the starting line on the sprawling grass field, Jesse Saldana ached. His quadriceps burned. His calf muscles felt twisted in knots.

So when two competitors from a rival school remained on his flanks about a mile into the race and a third grunted heavily directly behind him, Saldana wondered if he could hold them off. Weary legs led to him breaking a personal cardinal rule: Never look over your shoulder.

For the Heritage senior, Wednesday’s lapse in concentration was only temporary. At roughly the halfway point of the five-kilometer course at Oatlands in Leesburg, Saldana steeled himself against the pain and mustered enough energy to make his move.

That push was enough for Saldana to pull away from the trio of Dominion runners, and he went on to win in 18 minutes 23 seconds.

“I have enough confidence in my running,” Saldana said. “I’m sore, but I figured at 161/2 7[miles] I would just go out and see what I could do. I just kind of took off.”

Saldana’s determination sparked Heritage to the team win as well. The three-team competition was scored head-to-head; Heritage squeaked past Dominion, 26-29, and ran away from Freedom, 15-50. Dominion defeated Freedom, 15-49.

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High School Cross Country Meet: Dominion, Freedom, Heritage

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Boys and girls cross country runners from Freedom, Heritage and Dominion high schools competed at Oatlands Sept. 5. This photo shows the leaders of the pack about 100 yards after the start. (John McDonnell)

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Boys and girls cross country runners from Freedom, Heritage and Dominion high schools competed at Oatlands Sept. 5. (John McDonnell)

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Boys and girls cross country runners from Freedom, Heritage and Dominion high schools competed at Oatlands Sept. 5. Freedom High School coach Eric Olsen talks with some of his team while they stretch before the meet. (John McDonnell)

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Boys and girls cross country runners from Freedom, Heritage and Dominion high schools competed at Oatlands Sept. 5. Bekki Midanin of Dominion High School is shown at the halfway point. She would go on to win the race. (John McDonnell)

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Boys and girls cross country runners from Freedom, Heritage and Dominion high schools competed at Oatlands Sept. 5. Robyn Anson assists her daughter, Hannah McLaughlin, after she crossed the finish line. McLaughlin finished in second place. (John McDonnell)

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Boys and girls cross country runners from Freedom, Heritage and Dominion high schools competed at Oatlands Sept. 5. Freedom's Rachel Moffit (left) and Ana Wasserman hold onto each other as they stretch before the meet. (John McDonnell)

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Boys and girls cross country runners from Freedom, Heritage and Dominion high schools competed at Oatlands Sept. 5. This is a photo of some of the girls running right after the start. (John McDonnell)

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Boys and girls cross country runners from Freedom, Heritage and Dominion high schools competed at Oatlands Sept. 5. Heritage's boys gather under a large tree with their belongings. They used the shady spot as a staging area. (John McDonnell)

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Boys and girls cross country runners from Freedom, Heritage and Dominion high schools competed at Oatlands Sept. 5. Heritage's Jessie Salsara won for the boys team. (John McDonnell)

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Boys and girls cross country runners from Freedom, Heritage and Dominion high schools competed at Oatlands Sept. 5. Dominion's Jimmy Ryan (left) and Nick Phillips rest a few minutes after finishing the meet. (John McDonnell)

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The soreness that seized Saldana’s body was not the result of grueling summer runs in which he pushed his body to the brink. The 17-year-old kept his mileage relatively low, averaging about 40 per week. He recently intensified his workouts, incorporating intervals and hills into his training, and that left his body in anguish Wednesday.

“It’s really quality over quantity,” Saldana said.

In the girls’ race, which was at the same time as the boys’, Dominion senior Bekki Misanin left many of her male counterparts and every other female runner in her wake as she won in 20:58. But Heritage, the 2006 Dulles District champion, placed five scorers in the top eight — Hannah McLaughlin, Kelly Geyer, Grace Carapi, Ellyn Moulton and Lauren Stephens — to coast to the team title. The Pride defeated Dominion, 20-43, and Freedom, 24-41; Freedom edged Dominion, 27-29.

Last season, Heritage’s girls were third at the AA state championships, the best finish ever by a team from the Dulles District. Two of the top five scorers from that team are gone, but Heritage Coach Doug Gilbert believes his team won’t suffer.

“The girls we have now learned a lot from” graduates Jayde James and Bini Kronenberg, Gilbert said. “There’s no reason we can’t get back to or exceed that.”

Potomac Falls Wins

Potomac Falls swept the boys’ and girls’ races Wednesday on the five-kilometer course at Algonkian Park in Sterling. The boys, winners of the district championship last season, placed five runners in the top six. They were winner Josh Harden (16:35), Ryan Hagen, Andrew Mott, Brian Robinson and Alvaro Morales. The Panthers scored 19 points at the season-opening tri-meet, defeating Loudoun County (42 points) and Park View (83).

On the girls’ side, defending district champion Christina Lee was victorious in 19:47. Melissa Saunders, Shannon Brady, Suzanne Rogers and Rachel Hagan rounded out Potomac Falls’ top five. The Panthers won with 27 points. Loudoun County was runner-up with 33 points, and Park View was third with 72.

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks