NSA features strong trailblazers
Published 8:35 pm Tuesday, October 20, 2015
The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ cross country team shined on its home course on Thursday.
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy junior Chandler Bergeron runs during the Nansemond-Suffolk Invitational cross country meet on Thursday. She finished as the top overall varsity girl runner with a time of 20:17.57. (Janine DeMello photo)
The Lady Saints continued their promising 2015 season as they won as a team and NSA junior Chandler Bergeron won the girls’ 5K at the Nansemond-Suffolk Invitational.
“I felt like we did great,” NSA cross country coach Terry Crigger said. “The varsity and (junior varsity) girls won it, and we’re really excited about them because both of those are strong teams.”
The Nansemond-Suffolk boys’ varsity team did not do quite as well, placing fifth as a team, but it was also without junior Gustav Berner and sophomore Christian Berner. The brothers also play for the NSA boys’ soccer team and cannot run cross country on soccer game days like Thursday.
“We do better when we have them because they’re two of our top runners,” Crigger said.
But overall, it is an exciting time for NSA’s cross country program, which has both a promising present and promising future.
“We’ve got about 40 kids out for cross country,” Crigger said, noting he will not lose many of them to graduation. “We’re looking forward to what’s coming back, and this year, we feel like we’ve done really well.”
He said he thinks the girls have a good chance of placing well in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools this year, and a championship could possibly be in reach.
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy senior David Forman competes on Thursday during the Nansemond-Suffolk Invitational. He has been a leader by example for the NSA boys’ team, and he was its fastest runner on Thursday, taking 10th overall among varsity male runners. (Janine DeMello photo)
However, they will need to get past strong teams from Peninsula Catholic High School, Walsingham Academy, Norfolk Academy and Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School.
Leading the Lady Saints is Chandler Bergeron, who finished the girls’ 5K on Thursday with a time of 20:17.57.
“Chandler Bergeron is our best runner,” Crigger said. On the girls’ side, “she holds all the school records in distance, the 5K, the mile and the two miles. She broke her (5K) record again this year, and hopefully she’ll break it again before the end of the season.”
Sophomore Kaylee Moore is another leader among the Lady Saints. She took third on Thursday with a time of 22:05.54, and eighth-grade teammate Camryn King was right behind in fourth with a 22:08.27 time.
The running talent that will be joining the varsity squad in the future was also on full display on Thursday, as NSA’s Peyton Harrell took second among JV girls, finishing in 19 minutes and 56.40 seconds. She had teammates who took third through sixth.
Nansemond-Suffolk’s male runners are led by senior David Forman, who finished with a time of 19:32.10 on Thursday in the boys’ 5K, good for 10th.
“He’s reliable, dependable,” Crigger said. “He just works hard every day, and that’s where his leadership comes in. He just leads by example.”
Crigger expects it to be a difficult road for the NSA boys’ team to win the TCIS this year. Among the best teams it will have to contend with are the same ones the girls must surpass — Peninsula Catholic, Walsingham, Norfolk Academy and Bishop Sullivan.
Nansemond-Suffolk’s boys’ and girls’ teams next participate in a meet on Thursday at Norfolk Academy.
Following are the results from the Nansemond-Suffolk Invitational cross country meet on Oct. 15 at NSA:
Girls’ team results
1) Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, 25
2) Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School, 47
3) Isle of Wight Academy, 78
4) Cape Henry Collegiate School, 85
Boys’ team results
1) Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School, 36
2) Norfolk Collegiate School, 63
3) Cape Henry Collegiate School, 79
4) Greenbrier Christian Academy, 116
5) Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, 122
6) Hampton Roads Academy, 133
7) Isle of Wight Academy, 166
8) Norfolk Christian School, 180
Individual girls’ results and local finishers in top 20
1st-Chandler Bergeron (Nansemond-Suffolk), 20:17.57; 2nd-Grace Miner (Peninsula Catholic), 22:04.05; 3rd-Kaylee Moore (Nansemond-Suffolk) 22:05.54; 4th-Camryn King (Nansemond-Suffolk), 22:08.27; 5th-Hannah Plott (Isle of Wight), 22:17.53; 13th-Alivia Giles (Nansemond-Suffolk), 23:39.34; 14th-Madi Wilson (Nansemond-Suffolk), 23:52.63; 15th-Eliza Coxe (Nansemond-Suffolk), 23:54.00; 18th-Emily Wilda (Isle of Wight), 24:52.14.
Individual boys’ results and local finishers in top 20
1st-Owen Richards (Cape Henry Collegiate), 17:43.98; 2nd-Sam Estes (Bishop Sullivan Catholic), 18:29.85; 3rd-Logan Vanscoten (Bishop Sullivan Catholic), 18:48.08; 4th-Chandler Branton (Norfolk Collegiate), 19:01.86; 5th-Liam Carr (Hampton Roads Academy), 19:07.67; 10th-David Forman (Nansemond-Suffolk), 19:32.10; 19th-Conner Soady (Isle of Wight), 20:28.35.
