The Deerfield girls varsity cross-country team capped off their 2018 season at the New England Championship race on Saturday, November 10 at Avon, but the cross country season did not end there for junior co-captain Victoria Patterson ’20. On Saturday, November 24, Victoria competed in the South Region Foot Locker Cross Country Championships at McAlpine Park in Charlotte, NC. Patterson finished the race in tenth place crossing the line at 17:27 in the highly competitive south region field of runners.
With Saturday’s top-ten finish, Victoria earned her place on the 2018 Foot Locker National Cross Country Team. Each of the qualifiers from the four regions – South, Northeast, Midwest and West – will compete in the 40th Annual Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships in Balboa Park San Diego, CA on Saturday, December 8th.
Victoria represented her home state of South Carolina in Saturday’s race. Other states represented in the south region include; Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
In her junior campaign for the Big Green, Victoria was a dominant force, crossing the finish line ahead of every competitor this season. She capped off this year’s season outpacing the second place finisher at the New England Championships by over a minute. Her coaches describe her as a, “season-long dominant force in races and team role model for focus, dedication and support of her teammates.”
Listen here to Victoria’s post-race interview on her goals for the south region race and looking ahead to the championship race in San Diego.
Congratulations, Victoria!