After winning district and region championships the previous two weeks, Oakton High School’s Junior Allen placed third in the season-ending Class 6 boys state cross country meet.
The senior’s time was 15:25 on the 5,000-meter Oatlands Plantation course in Leesburg. The winning time in the Virginia High School League meet was a 15:09 by senior Nayan Kasperowski of South County. Chantilly junior Tristan Thurneysen was second in 15:18.
Thurneysen finished second to Allen in the preceding Concorde District and 6D North Region meets, each on the shorter Burke Lake Park course.
Allen was right with Kasperowski and Thurneysen until he fell behind a little after two miles into the race.
Allen helped the Oakton boys finish fifth in the state team standings. Also for the Oakton boys, Landon Newell was 18th in the state meet (16:27), Conor Eklund 37th (17:05) Tristan Welsh 62nd (17:44) and Harrison Willens 68th (17:50).
In the girls Class 6 state meet on the same course and day, Hazel Calway finished 16th (19:14) and Lila Pesavento was 21st (19:24) to help the Langley High girls place fourth.
Also for Langley, Madeleine Spaner was 35th (20:05), Corinne Jaggard 42nd (20:14) and Paige Poulos 69th (21:16).
For the Madison High girls, Kiki Van Der Weide placed 17th (19:19) and Lydia Mikhin 71st (21:17). Oakton’s Caroline Sapperstein was 25th (19:34) and McLean’s Daniela Diaz 47th (20:18).
NOTE: Allen placed eighth in last season’s state meet on the same course in a time of 16:29. His time was more than a minute faster this year.
