HUNT VALLEY, Md. — Rafi Hume of St. Albans captured the individual title, while Centennial used a deep and tightly packed lineup to win the Black & Gold Varsity Boys team championship at the MDXC Invitational on Oct. 10 at Shawan Downs.
Hume, a senior, led a blistering field with a personal-best 15:23.2, holding off Centennial junior Zedekiah Dong, who finished just three seconds back in a personal-best 15:26.2. Oakdale senior Patrick Salter took third in 15:28.6.
The battle behind them was just as close. Bullis junior Owen Heilman finished fourth in a season-best 15:28.9, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase senior Alec Mostofi rounded out the top five in a personal-best 15:29.8. Less than seven seconds separated the first five finishers.
Severna Park’s Brenden Woods placed sixth in 15:34.3, followed by Crofton sophomore Jordan Gelineau in 15:35.5 and Broadneck senior Evan Whitford in 15:36.4. Hereford’s Eli Aitken was ninth in 15:40.8, while St. Albans senior Thomas Power completed the top 10 in 15:42.9.
Centennial claimed the team championship with 155 points, led by Dong’s runner-up finish. Centennial’s five scoring runners placed 2nd, 25th, 28th, 35th, and 65th, combining for a five-runner time of 1:20:45.2 and an average of 16:09.1.
Calvert Hall College used an exceptionally tight pack to finish second with 206 points. Its five scorers crossed in 36th, 38th, 40th, 41st, and 51st, a spread of just 12.9 seconds.
Crofton finished third with 217 points, powered by two runners near the front — Gelineau in seventh and senior Scott Cunningham in 11th. Dulaney placed fourth with 244 points, while individual champion Hume helped St. Albans round out the top five with 260.
The individual race highlighted the quality of the field, with the first 18 runners breaking 16 minutes. Twenty-one of the top 25 finishers recorded personal-best performances.
👏 Charm City Run
👏 Brooks
👏 MedStar Health
👏 Kelly Benefits
A special thank you to the organizers, volunteers, and sponsors who helped make the MDXC Invitational possible and provided athletes from across the region with an outstanding day of championship-caliber cross-country racing at Shawan Downs.
