The Virginia High School League cross country championships were held on a cold and rainy day at the Great Meadow horse farm in The Plains last weekend.

James River and Lord Botetourt athletes ran on Friday as the course hosted boys and girls championship races for all six VHSL classifications over two days.

The James River boys placed ninth among 12 teams on Friday. The top finisher for the Knights was Cole Miller, who placed 33rd in a time of 18:08. Camden Powell placed 45th in a time of 18:24.

For the girls, Katelyn Wiley placed 23rd in a time of 20:56, her best time of the year. Abbagale Link placed 33rd in 21:45, which was her second fastest time of the year.

The Maggie Walker boys and Clarke County girls won state championships in Class 2. The individual champs were Oliver Wilson-Cook of R.E. Lee-Staunton for the boys with a time of 16:12 and Mary Caroline Heinen of Maggie Walker for the girls at 18:25.

In Class 3, the Hidden Valley girls ran to the state championship while the LB girls finished ninth as a team. Sofia Hernandez led the Botetourt girls with a 20th place finish in 19:57. Kasandra Aulenbach of Tabb was the individual winner in 18:41.

“Due to the rain prior to the meet we were not able to preview the course ahead of time,” said LB coach Robert Sullivan. “For most of our athletes, it was the first time running the state meet course.”

Second for LB, and 28th overall, was Sydney Vokus in 20:15. Also scoring for the Cavaliers were Lauren Duff in 59th, Brielle Jackson in 70th and Katie Cross in 74th. Balor Harold and Brooklyn Hornback also competed.

“The girls all ran solid races,” said Sullivan. “The 3A field is very talented, so to finish in the top 10 is a huge accomplishment for our very young girls team. Most of these girls were running the course for the first time.”

Bryson Cook of LB ran as an individual and finished 42nd in a time of 17:20. The winning time was 15:39 by Joe Hawkes of Western Albemarle, and the Warriors also won the team championship.