South Lakes XC Girls win first-ever region title, finish fourth at States
- The Reston Letter Staff
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
by Shanen Elliott, Guest Writer
The South Lakes Girls Varsity Cross Country Team capped its 2025 fall season with an outstanding post-season run. After a razor-thin, one-point second-place finish to Oakton at the Concorde District Championship, Coach Scott Raczko’s squad turned the tables the following week, capturing its first-ever Northern Region Girls Cross Country title over Oakton.
The Seahawks finished with 53 points, 10 ahead of Oakton’s 63 (cross country scoring favors the lowest total). The scoring quintet—seniors Caroline Elliott (3rd) and Aya Ryan (7th), freshman Quinn Jackson (6th), sophomore Olivia Levey (15th), and junior Lillian Swartzbaugh (23rd)—was bolstered by strong 28th and 30th-place finishes from sophomore Charlotte Captain and senior Irene Ha.
Elliott, Jackson, and Ryan earned All-Region honors, recording three of the top 10 times in South Lakes XC history on Burke Lake’s renowned 2.98-mile course. Elliott set a new school record with a 17:09 finish, surpassing the previous mark of 17:23.
The Seahawks closed the season with a fourth-place finish at the Virginia Class 6 State Championship on the challenging Oatlands 5000-meter course in Leesburg. Scoring runners Elliott (4th, All-State), Jackson (14th), Levey (31st), Ryan (34th), and Captain (52nd) combined for 101 points, just two shy of third-place Woodson (99). State champion Robinson (58) and runner-up West Springfield (84) finished 1-2 for the second consecutive year.
Looking ahead, the Seahawks hope to carry their momentum into the 2025–26 Indoor Track season. Seniors Elliott and Ryan will lead the team, both heading to Division I programs next year—Elliott at the University of Virginia and Ryan at the University of Richmond. With this leadership, South Lakes is expected to be strong contenders at the district, regional, and state levels.
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