B-U cross-country teams have high expectations heading into loaded Region I championship meet Thursday

KINGWOOD – The Buckhannon-Upshur boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams will compete Thursday in the Region I Championships at Preston High School.

Both teams will carry a wave of momentum into the championships as the Lady Bucs are coming off of a Big 10 Conference title in their last race while the Bucs finished runner-up at the conference meet last week.

“I think conference was a huge boost to our confidence on both sides,” stated Buckhannon-Upshur head coach Taylor Stacy. “For the girls, it showed them that they can run right up there with the best of them. Preston edged us out earlier this year at University, so it was nice see our girls have improved over the year just like we wanted. For the boys it showed that they were capable of a lot more than they expected. The boys are ranked right about fourth in our region, but anything can happen come race day.”

Region I boasts some of the top teams in West Virginia and could very well be the toughest Class AAA Region in the entire state.

According to the most recent RunWV.com power rankings, four of the top nine girls’ teams reside in Region I.

Morgantown is the top team in the state, according to the rankings while University is third, Preston is seventh and the Lady Bucs are ninth.

Ten of the top 20 individual Class AAA runners also reside in Region I with Morgantown’s Irene Riggs being the top runner in the state.

The Lady Bucs have two runners ranked in the top 25 in the state as freshman Samantha Shreve is ranked 16th and sophomore Mia Sappey is ranked 24th.

On the boys’ side, the Bucs fall just outside of the top 10 rankings while four Region I teams are ranked as University is No. 1 followed by Wheeling Park in third, Morgantown in sixth and Bridgeport in eighth.

Jordan Gillum is the lone B-U runner ranked in the top 25 in the state, as he is positioned at No. 18.

Just like on the girls’ side, 10 of the top 20 runners in Class AAA boy’s rankings are from Region I teams.

Stacy has high expectations for both teams heading into Thursday’s event despite competing against the best competition the state has to offer.

“I’m expecting both teams to put on a great showing Thursday,” stated Stacy. “We’re peaking at the right time, so that’s a huge plus for us. Ideally, we hope both teams will make it to states, but none of that is guaranteed. I expect that we will compete to the best of our ability and we’ll give the other teams a good run for their money.”

The Bucs and Lady Bucs were not able to run the Preston course this year. They had been scheduled to run it, but that meet was canceled when Preston shut down their athletic teams due to COVID-19 protocols.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to run their course this year,” noted Stacy. “We missed out on our chance when Preston had to go virtual for a few weeks and cancel their meet. It would have been nice to run the course ahead of regionals; it’s a nice advantage, but it’s not a worry for us. We never walk the courses before a race. I always tell my athletes they have to make their minds up ahead of time and decide that they are going to go out there and compete. Worrying about the course only means you aren’t prepared and you’re in the wrong mindset.”

That said, Stacy did say the course favors his two teams to a degree.

“Preston’s course, from my understanding, has a good mix of some rolling hills with some quick flats,” stated Stacy. “It’s essentially an extended version of their Knight Night Relays course. My crew is very strong on hills, so I don’t think they’ll be too much of a worry for us.”

Stacy said the regional championships will be a showcase for all the hard work his two teams have put in this season.

“We’ve been in a great head space this past week, so I’m really looking forward to see the results of Thursday,” concluded Stacy. “These kids have been working really hard since June. Thursday will be the pinnacle of all their training coming together. Let’s go Bucs!”

Featured

SHOPS & SERVICES

Buckhannon man held on $100,000 bail after being arrested on multiple drug charges

BUCKHANNON – A Buckhannon man was arrested Saturday after several illegal substances were allegedly found in his residence. Bryan Shaw, 41, of Buckhannon, was arrested for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, possession with intent to deliver heroin, possession with […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

Buckhannon City Council approves $6.5 million-dollar budget prioritizing public safety, infrastructure

BUCKHANNON – City council passed the largest budget in Buckhannon’s history Tuesday, with the two largest allocations once again earmarked for public safety operations and infrastructure maintenance, respectively. At its March 14 meeting – rescheduled from March 16 due to […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

Police arrest man they say was the driver in 2022 pursuit that ended in a wreck with two people ejected

BUCKHANNON – A Rock Cave man was arrested for allegedly fleeing from police officers in a vehicle, injuring himself and a passenger. Elijah Carpenter, 27, of Rock Cave was arrested Thursday for fleeing from an officer and fleeing or attempting […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

SHOPS & SERVICES

Softball Lady Bucs get one-hit by Lincoln’s Haller in debut in 10-0 setback

TENNERTON – For their season opener, the Buckhannon-Upshur softball Lady Bucs ran into one of the top pitchers in the state in Lincoln’s Delaney Haller. Haller was the Big 10 Conference Pitcher of the Year last season and was captain […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

Baseball ‘Cats get home doubleheader split with ABU

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Wesleyan baseball team split with the Alderson Broaddus Battlers Monday, winning 7-2 in the first game and losing 7-0 in the second game. The bats were alive in Game

Inexperienced tennis Bucs fall in first two outings of 2023 season

BRIDGEPORT – The Buckhannon-Upshur tennis Buccaneers dropped their first two outings of the year last week. They opened their season at home last Thursday with a 7-0 setback to Robert C. Byrd and then went to Bridgeport Saturday and dropped […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

Lady Buc netters open season with win over Robert C. Byrd and narrow loss to John Marshall

BRIDGEPORT – The Buckhannon-Upshur Lady Buc tennis team is off to a 1-1 start to the season and was just an eyelash away from being a perfect 2-0. The Lady Bucs hosted Robert C. Byrd last Thursday and won a […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

SHOPS & SERVICES

Working in service: WVU research reaches all of West Virginia

Breakthroughs and research expertise nurtured at West Virginia University extend far beyond its labs, experimental sites and classrooms. In fact, WVU research efforts are unique compared to most universities, according to Vice President for Research Fred King. “While

Fairmont State University selects 2023 Presidential Scholarship winners

Three incoming Fairmont State University freshmen have been selected as the recipients of Fairmont State’s premier academic scholarship, the Charles J. McClain Presidential Scholarship. Sophie Stuart from Jefferson High School (Charles town, W.VA), Hailey Jordan

WVDEP hosting students on World Water Day

CHARLESTON, WV – In an effort to enrich students’ understanding of the importance of clean water, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) is hosting a water education event for area grade schools on