Ryan Thomas

Blacksburg senior Matthew Pasier played key role in a historically great season for the Blacksburg boys who won their fourth straight Group AA state title, qualified for the Nike Cross Nationals, and finished 10th out in Oregon at the Nike Cross Nationals. Paiser finished 3rd in the Group AA state race, 20th at the NXN Southeast Regional, and 83rd at the Nike Cross Nationals.

  The Northwest Region cross country champion from Albemarle High School in junior Ryan Thomas had a somewhat of an up and down cross country season. Highlights for the 2:29 1000 meter runner included district and regional individual titles as well as 15:30's runs twice at WakeMed Soccer Park for Great American and NXN Southeast.

Can any of these Virginia boys make it to Oregon individually as one of the first five finishers from a non-advancing team at the Nike Cross Southeast Regional on Saturday in Cary, North Carolina? Find out more in the Virginia meet preview for NXN Southeast.

  There will be a big three of distance running stars coming back for the new 5A classification next fall between Thomas Edison's Louis Colson, Albemarle's Ryan Thomas, and Atlee's Nathaniel Hall who all have run in the 15:30's this season for 5K. Both Thomas and Hall were regional champions, while Colson was the highest finisher among the three in the Group AAA state race with a fourth place PR run of 15:36.

It is only fitting that in the last year of the existence of Group AAA as it currently exists before the six class system is implemented next year that arguably the most successful two girls’ cross country programs historically will be competing for the final Group AAA state cross country title (in the 3 class system). Lake Braddock was the team of the decade in the 1980s, while Midlothian was the team of the decade in the 2000s.

The Colonial Forge girls and Battlefield's Nicole Carter repeated as Northwest Region cross country champions, while the Osbourn Park boys narrowly edged out Battlefield for the team title and Albemarle's Ryan Thomas needed a last straightaway kick to overtake Forest Park's Andrew Gaiser for the individual title.

  MileStat.com was on-site Tuesday covering the 26th annual Ragged Mountain Cup, which gathered 17 schools from the Charlottesville area at Panorama Farms for a 4x2 mile relay race. 

  A 2:28 1000 meter runner and 4:13 miler as a sophomore, Ryan Thomas of Albemarle High School recalls his very first high school cross country race.