Fitzpatrick Leads O'Connell to Top

Knights Take Girls' Individual, Team Titles; Gonzaga Boys Win

Megan Fitzpatrick winced as she crossed the finish line yesterday at the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference cross-country championships. Her energy sapped, she clung to the sides of the finishing chute as she staggered through the funnel.

But as soon as Fitzpatrick left the chute, she was mobbed by excited fans. Suddenly, the fatigue that had caused her knees to buckle just moments earlier was replaced with giddy enthusiasm. The O'Connell senior leapt into the arms of one well-wisher, then another. "I'm looking at a WCAC champion!" one of them said to Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick won her second straight WCAC championship under a steady, hard rain, covering the difficult five-kilometer course at Lake Fairfax in Reston in 20 minutes 10 seconds. But as thrilled as she was about her individual performance, she basked in the excitement surrounding O'Connell's second straight team title even more.

Fitzpatrick and her teammates huddled together as they posed for pictures. Their wet hair clung to their faces and leaves stuck to their skin. There was mud caked on their shoes and uniforms, but nothing could spoil the moment.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Fitzpatrick said.

O'Connell cruised to the victory with 28 points, far ahead of Paul VI (80 points), Holy Cross (95) and Bishop Ireton (107).

Led by runner-up Billy Ledder, Gonzaga captured the boys' title with 46 points, enough to hold off Good Counsel (52 points), DeMatha (75) and Paul VI (95). After it was announced that Gonzaga had won -- its first crown since 2005 -- the Eagles swarmed the championship trophy, pointing their index fingers to the sky.

DeMatha junior Cory Puffett led from start to finish and won his second straight boys' individual championship in 16:41. The lingering effects of a summer hamstring injury caused him to miss several races this season, but yesterday Puffett was healthy -- and dominant. He splashed through ankle-deep creeks and negotiated the course's treacherous hills and trails before finishing more than 30 seconds faster than Ledder.

But that offered little consolation to Puffett. He'd hoped to help DeMatha reclaim the WCAC title it last won in 2006.

"Getting first individually is special, it's important," Puffett said. "But it's not what I'm looking for. It'd be easier to enjoy it if the team won as well."

Wilson Wins ISL

Potomac School junior Anneka Wilson claimed her second straight ISL championship yesterday at Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda by nearly two minutes, crossing the finish in a career-best 17:44. Runner-up Lottie Hedden paced National Cathedral (58 points) to the team title. Episcopal (77 points) was second, followed by Georgetown Visitation (83). . . .

Earlier, Sidwell Friends won the MAC championship convincingly, tallying just 26 points by placing all five of its scorers, including individual champion John McGowan, in the top eight. St. Andrew's (54 points) took second and Georgetown Day (84) third. . . .

Host Georgetown Prep won its first IAC title since 2005, knocking off two-time defending champion St. Albans, 42-45. Episcopal nabbed third with 52 points. Landon junior Jack Strabo was the individual winner in 16:06.