CROSS COUNTRY: Abingdon team, Marion’s Rice highlight SWD meet

BRISTOL, Va. – Melanie Rice sprinted to the finish line at Sugar Hollow Park on Thursday with a look of bliss and determination. In many ways, it was a race for redemption.

For the past year, the Marion High School senior has battled illness and injury.

Rice has been forced to take medication, skip training sessions, and watch her teammates from the sidelines.

“This is my last year of high school,” Rice said. “I wanted to have fun, and run for God and my team.”

All eyes were on the 5-foot-4 Rice as she defended her Southwest District cross country title in a time of 19:07.

“I’m a very positive person, but it took me until the end of this season to get over a bittersweet feeling,” Rice said.  “I wanted so bad to go fast.”

The nightmare for Rice began last winter. Many long nights, frustrating afternoons and bouts of pain followed.

“I had a serious internal illness, and I faced a lot of complications from it,” Rice said. “I had to quit running for a long time. I didn’t even know whether I could run ever again.”

Rice’s heath condition is gradually improving but she was dealt another setback after she injured her left hip in the first meet of the cross country season.

For Rice, the pain of not being able compete with her friends was as bad as the physical discomfort.

“I was so happy when I saw how well my teammates on both the girls and boys teams were doing, then I would real sad that I couldn’t be out there with them,” said Rice, who able to resume full workouts at midseason.

Rice blocked out the lingering pain and heat Thursday on the scenic and hilly Sugar Hollow layout. Abingdon freshman Madison Turner, who shadowed Rice over the first portion of the race, finished second in a time of 19:45.

Abingdon, which has just one senior, won the team title with a score of 23. Marion followed at 52.

The story in the boys meet centered on Abingdon senior George Tolton and the “bald squad.”

Tolton and his teammates decided Wednesday night to express their devotion by shaving off their hair. AHS senior Ryan McMurray served as the barber. All but one team member agreed to undergo the ritual.

“Ryan and I actually decided to do it at the beginning of the season, and we’ve been talking about for the past month,” Tolton said. “We all got haircuts [Wednesday], and then we went out and ate pizza. It was cool.”

The five-foot-nine Tolton chilled the competition Thursday with his winning time of 16:43. Michael Gifford (17:21) and Colby Hinchey (17:23) from AHS were next in line.
Tolton said his new look gave him an aerodynamic boost.

“My head felt a little tingly running through the wind, but it helped great a deal,” said Tolton, who finished fourth in last year’s SWD meet.

The Falcons posted a team score of 24 en route to the team title. Marion followed with 51 points.

Tolton, who grew up in North Carolina, has only been running cross country for two years. Tolton also has a passion for skateboarding, and has competed in several skateboarding competitions in Kingsport.

AHS coach Don Cumbow said Tolton remains an impressive work in progress.

“George improves every time he runs,” Cumbow said. “If George continues to run in college, he will get better and better.”

The AHS roster features just two senior boys and no juniors.

“We all really hard over the summer and just kept with it,” Tolton said. “That work paid off today.”

Tolton and Rice hope to add another chapter to their resurgent stories Nov. 6 in the Region IV meet at Sugar Hollow Park. AHS has not won a regional cross country title since
Roanoke area schools were added to the region.

Rice is simply eager to continue her run for fun.

“The times are slower this year, but I’m just really happy to have the chance to run free again now,” said Rice, who finished third in the region last year.  “Our team motto this year is ‘ “You Don’t Need Wings To Fly.’”

“I feel like I can fly with the joy that God gives me. Whether I’m fast or not, I’m blessed to be able to be a runner, and I hope to be healthy for college.”

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