Yorktown High School’s Owen McArdle has qualified to run in a national-championship race.
By virtue of finishing fifth in 15:05.49 at the Eastbay South Regional boys championship high-school cross country meet, the senior earned a spot in Eastbay’s boys national meet Dec. 11 in San Diego. The top 10 finishers in region meets earn a berth to race in the nationals.
The winning time at the South Region meet was 15:00.31.
McArdle entered the region meet already as an accomplished runner this fall, winning the 2021 Virginia High School League Class 6 state championship, as well as the 6D North Region meet. He also won the Arlington County championship in October and finished first in other various meets.
A number of McArdle’s Yorktown teammates also ran in the South Region meet. Yorktown’s Jack Levine finished 75th (16:04.36), Bennett Lamb 125th (16:27.92), Jack Blocher 185th (17:14:04) and Matthew Pedicano 205th (17:34.02).
Arlington runner Charlie Ortman of the Potomac School finished 17th in the South Region race in 15:30.9. He earlier this fall finished second in the Division I state private-school meet.
In the South Region girls championship race, Yorktown senior Anna Corcoran finished 15th in 17:41.48. The winning time was 16:38.05.
The top 10 in that race also earned a berth to run in the Dec. 11 national meet.
Corcoran was a top finisher in district, region and state championship meets during the fall high-school season.