COWEN, W.Va. — Greenbrier West Cross Country may have fielded a small lineup Tuesday evening at the Big Ditch Lake Invitational, but the Cavaliers left the course with plenty to build on as a senior made his long-awaited return and a freshman continued gaining experience in her first high school season.
For senior Dominic Mandeville, Tuesday’s race represented much more than another time on the results sheet. Mandeville returned to competitive cross country for the first time since undergoing knee surgery in April, completing the demanding Big Ditch Lake course in 24:59. After spending months recovering and working his way back, Mandeville finally found himself back on a starting line wearing Greenbrier West blue and gold. Big Ditch wasn’t exactly an easy place to make a comeback, either, with a course that challenges runners with its terrain and difficult climb on the return. Still, Mandeville battled his way through the course and crossed the finish line in under 25 minutes in his first race back.
The performance gives the Cavalier senior a starting point as he works toward rebuilding his race fitness throughout his final high school cross country season. More importantly, Tuesday marked the completion of a goal months in the making — getting healthy enough to compete again.
Representing the Lady Cavaliers was freshman Kaylee Walkup, who continued her first season of high school cross country with a 31:25 finish. Walkup took on the challenging Big Ditch course as one of Greenbrier West’s youngest runners, adding another 5K to her freshman campaign and valuable experience as she continues adjusting to the demands of high school competition.
With Walkup at the beginning of her high school running career and Mandeville entering the final chapter of his, Tuesday offered two very different perspectives on the season for Greenbrier West–one runner continuing to learn and grow, and another getting the opportunity to return to a sport that knee surgery had temporarily taken away.
Senior Jesse Walkup missed Tuesday’s meet due to illness but looks forward to returning to the course when the Cavaliers compete in the Shady Spring Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Little Beaver State Park.
For a Greenbrier West squad short on numbers Tuesday, Big Ditch wasn’t about team scores. It was about taking another step forward.
For K. Walkup, that meant another race and another opportunity to grow. For Mandeville, it meant simply getting to race again–and after months spent working toward that moment, crossing the finish line at Big Ditch may have been one of the most meaningful finishes of his senior season.
