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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Scotty Sports Corner

By Hollis Duncan
St. Margaret's School Staff Writer

Proctor Leads SMS Harriers to Fifth-Place Finish in LIS Championships

Junior Kelly Proctor of Urbanna cruised through the finish line first for her team with a time of 25:12 to lead St. Margaret's to a fifth-place finish in the League of Independent Schools cross country championships on November 9 in Richmond.

The 2000 St. Margaret's Cross Country team included: Alston Moore, Kelly Proctor, Graham Barlow, Head Coach David Cook, Amy Dunsire, Virginia King, Robyn Ridderhof and Emily Chang. Not pictured: Phoebe Gilbert, Caroline Johnston, Jennifer Lee and Ann Melchionna.

The Scotties faced stiff competition from three powerhouse teams: St. Catherine's, Collegiate and Norfolk Academy. Proctor ran mid-pack for most of the hotly contested race. With less than a mile to go, she pushed the pace, crossing the finish line five seconds ahead of her nearest challenger to place 37th overall. Alston Moore also finished strong, placing 49th in 27:10, as did Robyn Ridderhof (27:18; 51st), Ann Melchionna (28:50; 66th), Graham Barlow (31:25; 75th) and Caroline Johnston (36:16; 84th).

St. Catherine's won the championships with 31 points. Collegiate (50), Norfolk Academy (54) and St. Anne's-Belfield (90) finished second, third and fourth, respectively. St. Margaret's fifth-place finish showed marked improvement over last year's sixth-place showing. With 162 points, the Scotties nudged last-place Covenant by 10.

Head Coach David Cook sums up the season, his first and the Scotties' second, thusly: "The girls were, in some way, transformed by running cross country this fall. Each one can say that she grew in knowledge of herself, of life and of running - and that's the greatest goal a coach can hope to achieve."

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