Calvert Hall sweeps individual, team titles in dominant MDXC JV performance
HUNT VALLEY, Md. — Calvert Hall College left little doubt at the front of the Black & Gold JV Boys race, placing five runners among the first seven finishers to capture the team championship at the MDXC Invitational on Oct. 10 at Shawan Downs.
Sophomore Aksel Hannestad led the charge for the Cardinals, winning the individual title with a personal-best time of 17 minutes, 7.8 seconds. Centennial sophomore Samuel Raney kept the race close, finishing runner-up in a personal-best 17:11.8, just four seconds behind Hannestad.
Calvert Hall then flooded the finish chute.
Junior James Pennington placed third in a personal-best 17:12.1, while sophomore Declan Carter finished fourth in 17:19.4. After Bethesda-Chevy Chase junior Matthew Habib took fifth in 17:34.0, Calvert Hall junior Logan Burger crossed sixth in 17:36.4 and freshman Liam Ludwig followed seventh in a personal-best 17:36.7.
That gave Calvert Hall five of the first seven scoring positions and a nearly unbeatable 21-point team score. The Cardinals’ five scorers were separated by only 28.9 seconds, combining for a time of 1:26:52.4 and an average of 17:22.5.
The depth continued beyond the scoring five. Junior Adam Karasayev finished eighth overall in 17:39.3, and sophomore Zachary Ervin was 12th in a personal-best 17:47.5. Calvert Hall ultimately put seven runners among the first 12 finishers.
Centennial finished second with 87 points, led by Raney’s runner-up performance. Sophomore Andrew Steib added a 13th-place finish in a personal-best 17:53.4, while senior Maksim Betsis finished 16th in 18:01.0. Reegan Howell and Charles Arrington completed Centennial’s scoring five as the Eagles averaged 17:58.0.
Crofton placed third with 123 points, led by Kaleb Russ in 10th and Brenan Earp in 15th. Paul Wawrzyniak added a 25th-place finish, helping Crofton put all five scorers among the first 45 runners.
Dulaney took fourth with 149 points, placing its five scorers 11th, 19th, 25th, 41st, and 53rd in the team scoring. St. Albans rounded out the top five with 160 points, using one of the race’s tightest scoring packs. Its five scorers finished within just 23.3 seconds of one another.
Towson was close behind in sixth with 167 points, followed by Winston Churchill (193), Severna Park (229), Georgetown Day (255), and Mount Saint Joseph (307) to complete the top 10.
The race also highlighted the strength of the younger runners in the field. The individual champion and runner-up were both sophomores, while Calvert Hall’s scoring five included three sophomores, one junior, and freshman Ludwig. Several freshmen also broke into the upper portion of the standings, including Winston Churchill’s Dylan Lorraine-Zegarra, who finished 14th in 17:54.0.
Calvert Hall’s combination of front-running talent and depth ultimately defined the race. With five runners across the line before any other team had its second scorer finish, the Cardinals built an advantage that the rest of the 42-team field could not overcome.
Top five teams: Calvert Hall College, 21; Centennial, 87; Crofton, 123; Dulaney, 149; St. Albans, 160.
👏 Charm City Run
👏 Brooks
👏 MedStar Health
👏 Kelly Benefits
Thank you to the organizers, volunteers, and sponsors who helped bring together another deep field of runners for the MDXC Invitational at Shawan Downs.
