ROCKINGHAM — An exciting week of recognizing Richmond Senior High School student-athletes continued Tuesday.
The Richmond boys’ and girls’ cross country programs took time ahead of their home meet to celebrate their six senior runners.
Hosting their second home meet of the season, the Raiders and Lady Raiders welcomed Pinecrest and Scotland high schools for a 3-mile race at Hinson Lake.
Prior to the first race, this year’s seniors and members of their families and teammates were introduced by co-head coaches Ashleigh Buie and Morgan Tedder on the dock.
Four-year runners included Mariana Mendez and Alivia Webb, both of whom have served as senior leaders on the team this year.
Running for their second season at Richmond were Samantha Barnes and Jaxon Chavis. Richmond’s only first-year runner this fall was foreign exchange student Mascha Theijs (Germany). Unable to attend was senior James Coicou.
While each member of the team was escorted by family members and teammates, a short bio of each runner was read, including his or her plans for after graduation.
“Senior night is always a bittersweet moment,” Buie said. “Celebrating our seniors is a great way to say thank you to them for all of the hard work and commitment they’ve shown, but it also means that their time with us is coming to an end. This group of seniors has been great and we wish them all the best.”
“It’s been great to watch these seniors grow as student-athletes and young adults,” Tedder added. “Mariana and Alivia have been the heart of our team the last several years and we’ll miss their leadership. I hope all of our seniors learned something with us that they can take with them when they graduate.”
The Richmond Observer will publish results from Tuesday’s meet when they are made available.
Below are photos from Tuesday’s senior night at Hinson Lake, taken by sports editor Kyle Pillar.
