Singh dominates individual race as Maryvale Prep captures MDXC Red & White JV Girls title

HUNT VALLEY, Md. — River Hill sophomore Sofiarosa Singh delivered one of the most decisive individual victories of the MDXC Invitational, while Maryvale Prep used a deep scoring pack to capture the Red & White Junior Varsity Girls team championship Oct. 10 at Shawan Downs.

Singh separated herself from the field and crossed the finish line in a personal-best 20 minutes, 54.8 seconds, finishing nearly two minutes ahead of the next runner.

Maryvale Prep junior Giada Gibbons took second in a season-best 22:54.7, while Bryn Mawr sophomore Victoria An finished third in 23:12.7.

Maryvale sophomore Olivia Rockwell followed in fourth with a season-best 23:23.4, just ahead of River Hill sophomore Aria Fulton, who recorded a personal-best 23:24.3 for fifth.

Friends senior Clara Witte finished sixth in a personal-best 23:47.0, River Hill senior Marina Ronayne was seventh in a personal-best 23:48.8, and Maryvale junior Audrey Neville followed in eighth with a personal-best 23:58.5.

Maryvale senior Cecilia Palmiotto placed ninth in 24:07.4, and Bryn Mawr freshman Mira Snyder completed the top 10 in 24:08.6.

Singh’s commanding victory gave River Hill the lowest possible team score from its first runner, but Maryvale’s depth ultimately decided the championship.

Maryvale placed its five scorers in team positions 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9 to finish with just 27 points, defeating River Hill by 12.

Gibbons and Rockwell gave Maryvale two runners among the first four overall. Neville and Palmiotto followed in eighth and ninth, respectively, before sophomore Mary Christensen completed Maryvale’s scoring five with a personal-best 24:18.1.

The five combined for a team time of 1:58:42.1, averaging 23:44.5, with a scoring spread of 1:23.4.

Maryvale’s depth continued beyond its five scorers. Freshman Nora Bailey finished 15th overall in a personal-best 24:30.7, giving Maryvale six runners among the first 15 finishers.

River Hill finished second with 39 points, powered by Singh’s runaway victory and three runners among the first seven overall.

Fulton and Ronayne joined Singh at the front before freshman Ashley Young and junior Doris Ji crossed virtually together in 22nd and 23rd overall. Young finished in a personal-best 25:27.8, with Ji just one-tenth of a second behind in a personal-best 25:27.9.

River Hill’s scoring positions of 1, 4, 5, 14, and 15 produced its 39-point total.

The Hawks actually finished only 21.5 seconds behind Maryvale in cumulative team time, 1:59:03.6 to 1:58:42.1. But Maryvale’s tighter pack through the middle of the race gave the Lions the advantage in the scoring column.

The contrast between the two teams was especially evident in their scoring spreads. Maryvale’s five scorers were separated by 1:23.4, while River Hill’s spread was 4:33.1, largely because Singh was so far ahead of the rest of the field.

School Without Walls finished third with 80 points, led by sophomore Alexis Ukaegbu, who placed 11th overall in a personal-best 24:13.0. Sophomore Laila Ukaegbu, freshman Ruthie Davis, sophomore Pasquelle Reyes, and sophomore Chloe Carrdus completed the scoring five.

School Without Walls placed its scorers in team positions 8, 13, 16, 19, and 24 and finished with a team average of 25:39.7.

Atholton finished fourth with 127 points, relying on one of the tightest scoring groups in the race.

Freshman Laura Cowperthwaite led Atholton in 26:25.8, followed by freshman Maya Slade, freshman Yocheved Englander, sophomore Sophie Li, and sophomore Maariyya Madni. Atholton’s scoring five were separated by just 1:50.6.

Jemicy rounded out the top five with 134 points. Sophomore Claire O’Leary led the team with a personal-best 24:30.1, while junior Logan West followed in a personal-best 24:55.7.

St. Vincent Pallotti finished sixth with 155 points, while Rockbridge Academy was seventh with 163.

The team championship highlighted the importance of depth in cross-country scoring. River Hill had the individual champion and placed three runners among the first seven overall, but Maryvale countered by putting five scoring runners across the line before River Hill’s fourth scorer.

That balance was enough to give Maryvale a 27-39 victory.

Individually, however, Singh was in a class of her own.

Her 20:54.8 personal best gave her a 1 minute, 59.9 second margin of victory over Gibbons. No other runner broke 22 minutes, making Singh’s performance the defining individual result of the Red & White JV Girls race.

Top five individuals: Sofiarosa Singh, River Hill, 20:54.8; Giada Gibbons, Maryvale Prep, 22:54.7; Victoria An, Bryn Mawr, 23:12.7; Olivia Rockwell, Maryvale Prep, 23:23.4; Aria Fulton, River Hill, 23:24.3.

Top five teams: Maryvale Prep, 27; River Hill, 39; School Without Walls, 80; Atholton, 127; Jemicy, 134.

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Thank you to the organizers, volunteers, and sponsors who helped make the MDXC Invitational another outstanding day of cross-country racing at Shawan Downs.