Sophomore Brooke Ruffin made history by becoming the first Lion to win the prestigious Nike Cross Regional race held in Cary, N.C. Nov. 26. Her time of 19:29.7 in the Rising Stars 5K race was a personal best.
Ruffin’s strategy was to focus on the runner next to her. “We were pacing with each other, and at the last mile, I pushed up the hill. I kept saying ‘I can do this’ and everyone was cheering for me. I was so shocked.” Ruffin said. Her first-place finish led the girls Rising Stars team to a victory.
In the varsity races, the boys finished 12th, led by a 55th place finish by junior Matt Owens in 16:11.8. The girls team’s top finisher was senior Jessica Meek, who ran 19:47.8 finishing 122nd.