Edison's Degfae Is Triumphant

Leoule Degfae raised his arms high above his head yesterday as he snapped the twine crossing the finish line at the Virginia AAA Northern Region cross-country championships. It was a small gesture packed with big emotion.

After a handful of near misses, the Edison senior finally grabbed a marquee victory, and it came at one of the most meaningful points of his season.

"It just made first place even sweeter for me," Degfae said. "I got first place when it counts."

Degfae covered the 2.98-mile course at Burke Lake Park in Fairfax Station in 15 minutes 12.27 seconds. He had quite a bit of company early -- he was in fifth place after the first mile and, after taking the lead at the two-mile mark, had two runners on his flanks -- but emerged from the woods near the home stretch alone.

Led by third-place finisher Andrew McCullen, Oakton's boys celebrated their third region title in four years with 63 points. Robinson (88 points) was second, followed by Jefferson (115) and Lake Braddock (130).

Sophomore Stephanie Marzen led a young, talented Jefferson squad -- it almost placed its first three scorers in the top 10 -- to its first girls' title since 2000. The Colonials scored 69 points to finish in front of Oakton (100 points), Robinson (110) and Lake Braddock (127).

The top four teams and 15 individuals qualified for the state meet on Nov. 8 at Great Meadow in The Plains.

Like in the boys' race, a pack of six girls remained clustered during the first two miles, but Lake Braddock junior Liana Epstein broke away over the final portion to win in 17:46.04.

Last spring, during the outdoor track season, Epstein won the Northern Region 1,600-meter title in 4:57.46, the fastest time by an area girl. That breakout performance bolstered her confidence and she has seen her times drop significantly each week this fall. After winning the Patriot District title at Burke Lake Park on Oct. 23, Epstein returned there yesterday and scored the signature race of her season to date.

"This is the coolest feeling ever," Epstein said.

For Degfae, a season's worth of hard work and solid times weren't translating into wins -- until yesterday. At the William & Mary Invitational last month, he tried to stick with the top-rated runner in Virginia, but faltered en route to an eighth-place finish. Earlier this month at Octoberfest, he ran a respectable 15:51.13, a season best, and placed second -- 30 seconds behind the winner.

But as the top seed in yesterday's race, with two runners breathing hard at his sides, Degfae pushed the pace during the last mile to pull far ahead and secure his first region title.

"I knew I had a good kick," Degfae said. "You just have to see who has more guts."

Northern Region Championships Lasting Power: Since 1984, Lake Braddock's girls have advanced to the state meet every year except for one. In 2005, the Bruins finished fifth -- one spot out of contention -- on a sixth-runner tiebreaker. Double Eagles: Leoule Degfae became just the second boy from Edison to win the Northern Region championship. George Watts won in 1973 and '74.