Orange Track and Field

The most complete season from an Orange runner in over 25 years is now complete.

At least it is to many outside observers. For junior Gabriel Schmid, there’s still unfinished business for his senior season.

For now, Schmid has become the first Orange High runner to win at state title at the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A State Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 25 years.

On Friday afternoon, Schmid finished first in the 3,200 meters, capturing the state title with a time of 9:14.94 at the Irwin Belk Track and North Carolina A&T University. He beat runner-up Eli Julian of East Rowan to the finish line by just over five seconds. Julian came in at 9:20.39. Harper Clark of West Johnston finished third at 9:34.07.

Schmid becomes the first runner to win a state championship in outdoor track and field for Orange since 1998. Bradsher Wilkins was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 1998 state championships after he captured two state championships in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

That’s precisely why Schmid feels like Friday was triumphant and incomplete all at once. Schmid finished second in the 1,600 meters, which is basically one mile, behind Clark of West Johnston. Schmid led for most of the race until the final mile. He crossed the finish line at 4:20.05, just behind Clark’s time of 4:18.36.

Schmid’s time in the 3,200 meters was 20 seconds faster than his race last year in the state championships.

Winning the 3,200 meters has been elusive for Orange runners over the last few years. Last year, Schmid finished second in the 3,200 meters, coming up behind Austin Brotemarkle of Forestview. In 2021, Spencer Hampton led most of the way in the 3,200 meters before he was passed on the final lap by Walter Williams’ Ryan Motondo, who finished three seconds ahead of Hampton.

“I think Spenser was here today,” Schmid said afterwards.

In November, Schmid won the 3A Cross Country individual state championship at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. Last week, Schmid won the Mideast Regional championship in the 3,200 meters at Franklinton High School.

On Friday, Schmid had to deal with the elements. A torrential storm left behind plenty of water for athletes in all competitions to deal with. The rain had just stopped by the time Schmid started to run the 1,600 meter final.

“The track was just flooded with water,” Schmid said. “There were puddles everywhere.”

Schmid’s cross country championship was in November. His first state track and field championship was in May. Yet both races were run in warmer climates, something that Schmid actually preferred.

“I was heat training over the past two weeks,” Schmid said. “I was running in the hottest part of the day. In a way, I was prepared for the heat. But at the same time, I hadn’t run in the rain, which no one really likes to do. So I don’t think anyone was really prepared for that. I was prepared for the worst and I think I prepared the best I could.”

Last year, Schmid only qualified for one event in the state championships. Looking to become an elite runner, he spent the summer in grueling training throughout the southeast. He attended the Brevard Summer Distance training camp where he ran through the craggy terrain in a mountainous region. He also ventured to West Virginia for a Ragnar relay race.

“That 3.200 race last year was very much a strategy race,” Schmid said. “It is very much who is the tougher runner based on who can survive in that heat. So looking to this year, I qualified for two events. I placed second in the mile. I won the 3,200 meters by six seconds. I feel like I’ve come very far.”

From the very first week of the high school sports season last summer, Schmid has established dominance. At the Early Bird Cross Country Challenge on August 20 at WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary, Schmid finished first among 178 competitors. He went on to win the Central Carolina Conference championship and the Mideast Regional Championship before earning the state title in Kernersville.

Schmid is just the third Orange High runner in school history to win an outdoor state track & field state championship. In addition to Wilkins, Alvis Whitted won the 100 and 200 meter dash in the 1993 state championships. Following a run in the U.S. Olympic Trails and a successful career at N.C. State, Whitted went on to a nine-year career in the NFL. He is the only Orange Panther to play in a Super Bowl. Whitted suited up for the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Whitted recently became the wide receivers coach for the Utah Utes after a lengthy stint at the University of Wisconsin.

Yet Schmid is still aiming for more. He wants to break the 3A State Record for the 3,200 meters, which is 9:11, a record that has stood since 2010.

“There’s higher expectations,” Schmid said. “But to put it into words and to put it into the track is a whole other thing.”

That’s why he’s headed to California to run in another event next week. For Schmid, there truly is no finish line.

Also in the state outdoor championships, Ja’Ki McDaniels of Orange finished 13th in the long jump at 19-feet, 4.25 inches. Orange senior Isaiah Seymour came in 14th in the triple jump at 39-feet, 1.50 inches.

In women’s track and field, Orange junior Grace Pell finished ninth in the high jump with a leap of four-feet, ten-inches. Iyauna Justice finished 13th in the shot put at 31-feet, eight inches.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Naomi Dyreng, who won three regional championships at Franklinton High, came in seventh in the 1,600 meters at 5:24.62. Cedar Ridge sophomore Abigail Klaitman came in 13th in the same race, crossing the finish line at 5;52.63.

Dyreng also ran in the 3,200 meters. She finished eighth at 11:48.81. Klaitman finished 13th in the 3,200 at 12:24.81.

Cedar Ridge junior Typhany Cheek finished 14th in the long jump with a leap of 15-feet.

It has been 25 years since the Orange men’s outdoor track and field team had a runner win a state championship.

This Friday, Gabriel Schmid will look to end that drought. If this academic year is any indication, the smart money may be on him.

On Friday, Schmid continued an incredibly impressive year by winning two regional titles at the 3A Mideast Track and Field Championships at Franklinton High School.

Schmid cruised to victory in the 3,200 meters with a time of 9:11.10. He finished a full 37 seconds ahead of Corbin Weeks of Union Pines. Logan Trotten-Lancaster of Union Pines came in third at 9:56.77. Last year, Schmid finished second in the regionals behind his own teammate, Spencer Hampton of Orange.

Schmid also won the regional championship in the 1,600 meters at 4:23.96. Northwood’s Noah Nileson came in second at 4:28.71.

In addition, Orange sophomore Ja’Ki McDaniels earned a spot to the 3A State Championships this Friday at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. McDaniels came in third in the long jump at 21-feet, 6.5 inches. Kaleb Lucas of the Durham School of the Arts finished first at 22-feet, nine inches. Trenton Wiley of Eastern Alamance finished second at 21-feet, 11.5-inches.

McDaniels almost qualified for the state championships in the triple jump. His best leap of 40-feet-4,25 inches was good enough for fifth place. A.J. Allen of Southern Nash got fourth place, and the final state championship spot, at 40-feet-7.5 inches.

Isaiah Seymour, a senior who started the past two seasons for the Orange men’s basketball team, qualified for the state championships in the triple jump. Seymour finished third in the triple jump at 40-feet, ten-inches. He also came in eleventh in the long jump. Donovan Estes of Franklinton finished first at 44-feet-,6.25-inches.

Seymour’s brother, Issac, qualified for the state indoor track and field championships in February in the high jump. Issac Seymour finished 12th in the high jump in the outdoor regionals on Friday.

Schmid has had one of the greatest years for any runner in Orange High history. He won the 3A State Cross Country championship last November, finishing first at 15:44.28, a full 16 seconds ahead of runner-up Stephen Fernetti of North Lincoln. He became the first state cross country champion for Orange since Bradsher Wilkins in 1998.

Wilkins was also the last Orange runner to win a state championship in outdoor track and field. In 1998, Bradsher was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the State Championships when he won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

Jamar Davis was the last Orange competitor to win an outdoor state championship. Davis was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the 2018 NCHSAA 3A State Championships when he captured the state championships in the long jump and the triple jump. Davis also competed in the Penn Relays in his senior season. He is currently in his final season at N.C. State, where he recently won the triple jump in the Penn Relays.

Schmid started the year winning the Early Bird Challenge in cross country on August 20. After winning the 3A State Cross Country Championships, he qualified for the Indoor State Championships by finishing 14th at the New Balance Dash for Doobie 3,200 in Pfafftown. In December, Schmid ran in the Nike Cross Country Nationals in Portland, OR.

Orange had other competitors nearly reach the state championships. Aiden Viola came in eighth in the 800 meters at 2:04.84.

Myles Jermyn almost earned a ticket to Greensboro in the 1,600 meters. He finished 5th at 4:30.09. Corbin Weeks of Union Pines finished fourth to take the final spot for the state championships at 4:29.57.

Freshman Lucas Van Mater of Orange came in sixth in the 3,200 meters at 10:00.96. Peter Musser crossed the finish line in 10th at 10:28.87.

Edgar Ibarra, who was the only Cedar Ridge Red Wolf to qualify for regionals, finished 14th in the 3,200 meters at 11:09.33.

In addition to Sampey’s near-miss in the pole vault, Orange freshman Liam Van Schaick finished fifth at 9-feet.

Photo courtesy of GoPack.com. 

Jamar Davis: Five years after Davis participated in the Penn Relays as a senior at Orange High School, he returned as a senior at N.C. State last month. Davis won the gold medal in the long jump. He finished at 7.42 meters. That was ahead of the runner-up, Louis Gordon of Albany, who came in at 7.40 meters. Davis finished fifth in the triple jump with his best leap at 15.49 meters. Clarence Foote-Talley of Ohio State won the championship at 16.71 meters.

Jaylin Jones: The Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team won the USA South Conference championship on Saturday at Lefko Field in Misenheimer. The Falcons, who won the regular season championship, defeated Southern Virginia 12-9. Jones had one ground ball and created one turnover. In the opening round, Pfeiffer blasted Methodist 23-3. Jones started at midfield and had one ground ball. Jones is a graduate student who has played for the Falcons program for five seasons. On Sunday night, the field for the NCAA Division III Tournament was released. Pfeiffer will face Centre College in Danville, KY on Wednesday. Pfeiffer defeated Centre College 14-13 on March 23.

Cy Horner: Horner completed his sophomore season with Methodist in the loss to Pfeiffer. The Monarchs defeated LaGrange College 24-16 in the opening round of the USA South Tournament on Tuesday. Horner scored one goal and one assist on six shots. Against Pfeiffer, Horner had three shots. This season, Horner started 17 games. He scored 15 goals and had 21 assists. Methodist ended the year 7-10 overall, 4-4 in the USA South.

Chase Finley: Division II Shorter College ended its season with a loss to the University of Montevallo 26-8 in the opening round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament in St. Augustine, FL. Finley, a former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper, started and made nine saves. He also surrendered nine goals. Shorter ends the season 3-12.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson continues to come out of the bullpen for the Milwaukee Brewers. On Friday, Wilson threw one inning as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Brewers 6-3 at Oracle Park. Wilson threw a scoreless inning in the seventh with two walks and a strikeout. On April 29, Wilson threw two-thirds-of-an-inning against the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed two runs off two hits. The Brewers won 7-5.

Joey Berini: The East Carolina baseball team completed a weekend sweep of Cincinnati at UC Baseball Stadium. On Friday, the Pirates defeated the Bearcats 9-3. Berini knocked in the final run of the game with a sacrifice bunt in the ninth inning. He finished 0-for-5. On Saturday, the Pirates won 11-3. Berini went 3-for-5 with a run scored. The Pirates won 6-5 in ten innings on Sunday. Berini went 0-for-4. On Tuesday, North Carolina held off East Carolina 2-1. Berini started at shortstop.

Dante DeFranco: The Charlotte 49ers baseball team defeated #7 Coastal Carolina 7-3 at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, SC on May 2. DeFranco went 3-for-5 with an RBI double.

Phillip Berger: The Division III William Peace University baseball team has reached the USA South Baseball championship game in Rocky Mount. On Sunday, the Pacers defeated Brevard College 15-14 in Fayetteville in the USA South Baseball Tournament. On Friday, Brevard defeated William Peace 5-2. Berger threw nine innings in a no decision. He struck out a career-high 14 batters. He allowed two runs off seven hits and zero walks. The Pacers will face North Carolina Wesleyan in Rocky Mount on Friday. The winner advances to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Davis Horton: The season of the Rockingham Community College baseball team ended over the weekend in the Region X Tournament. Surry Community College defeated the Eagles 8-7 on Friday. Horton started as catcher and went 0-for-5. Caldwell Tech defeated Rockingham 9-1 on Friday. Horton started at first base. On Thursday, Rockingham defeated Virginia Peninsula Community College 13-3. Horton finished 1-for-4. This season, Horton hit .262 with one home run. He was second on the team with 24 RBIs.

Cooper Porter: The season of Pensacola State ended in the National Junior College Athletic Association South Atlantic District Baseball Championships. Miami Dade College defeated the Pirates 6-0 on Sunday. Porter, a sophomore, played eleven games this season. He hit .154 with one RBI. Porter didn’t play in a game after February 18.

Outdoor Track and Field: After winning the 3A State Cross Country championship in November, Orange’s Gabriel Schmid is looking to return to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association State Track and Field Championships.

Last week during the Raleigh Relays at Paul Deer Track at N.C. State University, Schmid qualified for the Mideast Regionals in the 3,200 meters, an event that he finished 2nd in last year during the state championships. Schmid finished 2nd in the relays at 9:06.93. That was the top time among competitors from North Carolina among 20 runners. Jake Liebert of Wando, South Carolina finished first.

Since winning the state championship, Schmid has competed all over the country. Earlier this month, he finished seventh overall in the Nike Indoor Nationals at the Armory in New York City. Running in the 2-mile championship, Schmid finished seventh overall at 9:09.46, which broke the school record. Schmid placed second in his heat.

Schmid finished 2nd in the 3,200 meters in the 2022 Eastern Regional Championships at Franklinton High School last May. He finished behind his teammate, Spenser Hampton, who graduated a month later.

In addition, two members of the Orange women’s track and field team qualified for the regional championships. It happened during Orange’s twi-meet against Person and Walter Williams at Auman Stadium on March 23. Junior Grace Pell won the high jump clearing 5-feet-two inches. Her teammate, Kathryn Scully, cleared 5-feet and tied for second. The NCHSAA minimum regional qualifying standards are 5-feet.

Scully also finished first in the triple jump at 31-feet, 8.5 inches.

Men’s Tennis: Orange 5, Cedar Ridge 4

On March 13, Orange held off Cedar Ridge at Panther Tennis Courts. The deciding match came at #3 doubles, where Brendon Kassler and Quincy Stanley won 8-5.

Cedar Ridge won the opening three singles matches. Josh Mayhew, who has reached the 3A State Singles Championship match for the past two years, won the #1 singles match 6-0, 6-0. Cedar Ridge’s Lev Bearman earned the victory at #2 singles 6-1, 6-2. The Red Wolves’ Walker Richards-Baker defeated Nathan Pavalonis 7-5, 5-7, (10-7).

Orange’s Brendon Kassler took another three-set match at #5 singles, winning 3-6, 6-0, 10-3. Panthers senior Cameron Foster prevailed at #4 6-2, 6-1. Stanley, a freshman, gained a split of the six singles matches with a 7-6 (7-1), 7-5.

Mayhew teamed with Leonidas Finley to win at #1 doubles 8-3. Orange evened the match at #2 doubles where Porter Pelphrey and Cameron Foster won 8-4.

Cedar Ridge 5, Walter Williams 3: On March 22, Cedar Ridge won its third overall match of the season in Hillsborough. Mayhew defeated Ty Lagana 6-0, 6-0 as the Red Wolves won four of the six singles matches. Richards-Baker, Colin Fulcher and Landon Richards also earned singles wins. Fulcher captured over Luke Williams 7-5, 7-6 (7-5).

Mayhew teamed with Bowen Wood to clinch the dual match win at #1 doubles with a 8-2 victory over Lagana and Andrew Brasington.

Orange 6, J.F. Webb 3: Orange swept all six of its singles matches to defeat the Warriors in a nonconfernece match on March 15. Porter Pelphrey, a sophomore, won at #1 singles 6-2, 7-5 over Ace Currin. Senior Joseph Clark defeated Aidan Bowen 6-2, 6-2. Sophomore Cameron Foster won over Josh Tomas 6-0, 6-0. Ryan Jouannet captured his match at #4 6-0, 6-0. Tristian Plummer won at #5 while Murilo Lopez won at #6. The Panthers are 5-4 on the season.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior high jumper Issac Seymour. This Friday, Seymour will compete in the 3A State Indoor Track and Field Championships at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem. Last winter, Seymour was a member of the Orange men’s basketball team, along with his brother Isaiah. This year, he focused on track and field. He has broken the state championship qualifying standard for the high jump of 5’8” four times. On December 10, Seymour set his personal best jump of 5’10” at the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear #2 meet at Dave Thaden Stadium. On January 10, Seymour won the meet at the Eastern Alamance Polar Bear #2 on January 10 at Fred Brady Stadium in Mebane. Seymour cleared 5’8”. Last week in the final regular season meet of the indoor season, Seymour again cleared 5’8″. He finished third. Brayden Garrett of J.F. Webb came in first with a leap of 5’10”. Seymour will compete at the JDL Fast Track for the first time this Friday. He will be joined by other teammates who have qualified for the state indoor championships: Gabriel Schmid, Aedan Sampey, Katheryn Scully and Grace Pell.

Earlier this winter, Cedar Ridge junior Zoey Moreno became the first female Red Wolves wrestler to win a tournament.

While she didn’t quite reach the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Women’s Invitational Tournament last weekend, she didn’t leave empty handed.

Moreno won her bracket at the Women’s Wrestling Showcase, held at the RISE Sports Complex in Bermuda Run, last Friday. Competing at 120 pounds, Moreno was the only competitor from Hillsborough in the event.

Moreno defeated Anella Fabriziani of Willow Spring 7-4 in the opening match. It took Moreno 1:04 to score the opening takedown. Fabriziani came back with a reversal and two back points to take a 4-3 lead at the end of the first period. Moreno notched four points in the final period to earn the win.

In the second match, Moreno defeated Amyna Denton of Hayesville via pinfall in 49 seconds. In the finale, Moreno pinned Annaleigh Tinoco of North Henderson in 44 seconds.

On January 26, Moreno competed against eleven other wrestlers in the 120-pound division of the Mideast Regional at Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville. Moreno defeated Jenna Phelps of Triton via pinfall in 1:09 of the opening round. Joce Carter of Hoke County, who went on to finish runner-up in the tournament, defeated Moreno in the 2nd round.

In the consolation round, Moreno pinned Ariana Anampa of Green Hope in 2:53. Jack Britt’s Samantha Dedeaux defeated Moreno in the consolation semifinals, which determined who would advance to the state tournament.

Moreno concludes her season with a 12-5 record.

In December, Moreno won the Green Hope Girls Grapple in Cary. Moreno defeated Ana Lytle of Wakefield for first place via pinfall in 33 seconds to win the championship.

Indoor Track: 

The Orange Indoor Track & Field team will have five competitors in the 3A/2A/1A NCHSAA Indoor Track and Field State Championships at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem on Friday.

Junior Aedan Sampey cleared 11-feet, 6-inches in the pole vault during the Eastern Alamance Polar Bear at Fred Brady Stadium in Mebane on January 31. The minimum qualifying standard is 10-feet. Previously, Sampey qualified for the state championships when he cleared 11-feet at the Eastern Alamance Polar Bear #2 on January 10.

Orange senior Issac Seymour will be going to the State Championships in the high jump. On December 10 at Dave Thaden Stadium, Seymour cleared 5-feet, 10-inches to finish in second place at the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear #2 meet. The minimum high jump standard is 5-feet, 8-inches. At the Eastern Alamance on January 10, Seymour won the high jump with another top leap of 5’8′, two inches better than Bron Rogers of Walter Williams.

Last week in the final regular season meet of the indoor season, Seymour again cleared 5’8″. He finished third. Brayden Garrett of J.F. Webb came in first with a leap of 5’10”.

Seymour also won the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear #4 meet on January 21. He cleared 5’10” for a new personal best.

The Orange men’s 4×400 meter relay team qualified for the State Championships at the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear on January 21. They won a meet, comprised of seven team, with a time of 3:42.16, beating the Wakefield squad by .23-of-a-second.

Also on January 31, Orange junior Katheryn Scully qualified for the high jump. She won the event with a leap of 5-feet. The qualifying standard for high jump in the state championships is 4’10”.

At the East Chapel Hill Polar Bear on January 21, Orange’s Grace Pell had a jump of 4’10”, earning her a spot in Winston-Salem. Pell qualified for regionals for the Orange women’s cross country team last November.

Orange junior Gabriel Schmid, who won the 3A State Cross Country Championship last fall, qualified for the state championships in the 3,200 meters during the first meet of the season on November 19 at the New Balance Dash for Doobie 3,200 in Pfafftown.

Orange junior Gabriel Schmid became a state champion last month in Kernersville. He is the 2022 3A State Men’s Cross Country champion. It’s something that only one other Orange runner has ever done in school history. Schmid won the state championship with a time of 15:44.79 at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex on November 5. He beat the closest competitor, Stephen Fennett of North Lincoln, by 16 seconds. The state championship concludes a remarkable season for Schmid, who started the year with a victory at the Early Bird Special on August 20 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Since then, he won the Central Carolina Conference championship at Lake Cammack Course in Burlington and the Mideast Regional Championship in Cary. Last May, Schmid won the regional championship in the 3,200 meters in outdoor track & field at Franklinton High School. He went on to finish 2nd in the state championships. Since winning the cross country state title, Schmid has continued to compete. Last week, again running at WakeMed Soccer Park, Schmid qualified for the Nike Cross Country Nationals in Portland, Oregon. In the NXR Southeast Regional Championships, Schmid finished fifth. On top of that, Schmid has already qualified for the state championships in the 3,200 meters in indoor track and field following the New Balance Dash for Doobie 3,200 in Pfafftown on November 19. 

There is no finish line.

At least not with Gabriel Schmid.

Just 19 months ago, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2020-2021 North Carolina High School Cross Country State championships to be held on a frigid January day in Kannapolis. If you scroll down the 97 names who qualified in the 3A Championships that day, Schmid’s is conspicuously missing. He was a freshman then.

Now, he’s a state champion.

On November 5, Schmid won the 3A State Championship at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. He captured his first state championship with a time of 15:44.28, a full 16 seconds ahead of runner-up Stephen Fernetti of North Lincoln. Eli Julian of South Rowan finished third at 16:13.79.

Schmid became only the second runner ever from Orange to win a state championship in cross country. Bradsher Wilkins won the 4A State Championship in 1997 and 1998.

Just as Schmid flipped the script on his performance, so did the climate that he competed in. Last November, he ran his first state championship meet with temperatures in the mid-50s. He finished 12th. This year, captured the state title in downright balmy conditions with highs in the low 80s, as warm as many observers could ever recall for the final cross country event of the year.

After crossing the finish line, some runners searched fervently for the table that had dozens of cups of water just beyond the concourse. Schmid, however, actually preferred the warmer weather.

“Last year, it was hard to stay warm,” Schmid said. “This was an amazing time. I’d rather have this 100%.”

Schmid followed in the footsteps of a teammate and mentor who nearly captured his own state championship several times. Spencer Hampton, who graduated in June, finished 2nd in the 3,2000 meters in the 2021 3A Outdoor State Track and Field Championship. A week prior, Hampton won the 1,600 meters Mideast Regional championship at Southern Lee High School in Sanford. Last year, Hampton came in 8th in the state cross country championships.

“We were feeling good about the race,” said Orange Men’s Cross Country coach Brian Schneidewind. “It was a nice, relatively calm week of having faith and trust in all the decisions he’s been making throughout the last several years to get to this point. What makes him special is the fact that he’s strong in so many different areas whereas a lot of runners have a lot of obvious strengths, but a lot of weaknesses as well.”

In May, Hampton won another regional championship in the 3,200 meters at Franklinton High School. Schmid finished 2nd. Schmid also finished 3rd in the 1,600 meters, while Hampton came in 2nd.

A week later at the 3A State Championships at North Carolina A&T State University, Schmid came in 2nd in the 3,200 meters.

“Spencer definitely helped me win this championship,” Schmid said. “He pushed me hard my freshman year because he saw potential in me. It’s something he engraved in me early on. It’s definitely something that started it all. From there, my parents, my coaches, my teammates saw that I have something. It motivated me to do that. At the end of the day, the motivation can get you through the days, the years, the months. Waking up every single day and having to do a 8-10 mile run. You can’t just have motivation. You have to have people pushing you.”

After the outdoor state championships, Schmid underwent a rigorous summer training regimen to prepare for cross country. He attended the Brevard Summer Distance training camp where he ran through the craggy terrain in a mountainous region. He also ventured to West Virginia for a Ragnar relay race, described as the “hardest fun you’ll ever love” on its website.

“The Pisgah Forest is definitely the way to train,” Schmid said. “It improved my endurance. One day we ran three miles uphill at an elevation of about 1,500 feet. Brevard started it all for this season. That was the hardest training I’ve ever gone through. I may do it again next year.”

Schmid finished the 2022 cross country season with six wins. In addition to the Central Carolina Conference championship at Lake Cammack Course in Burlington, Schmid won the Mideast Regional championship at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. That’s also where he opened the season with a victory in the Early Bird Challenge on August 20, outdistancing the field by 40 seconds against the nearest competitor, Cedar Ridge’s Roman Morrell.

In the state championships, Schmid beat out 170 other runners.

Since then, he hasn’t stopped competing. He has already qualified for the state championships in indoor track and field. On November 19, Schmid finished 14th in the New Balance Dash for Doobie 3200 in Pfafftown. His time of 9:20.33 was well under the state qualification standards of 10:00.000.

Last week, Schmid returned to WakeMed Soccer Park and finished fifth in the NXR Southeast Regional Championships. His time of 15:13.30 was good enough to qualify for the Nike Cross Country Nationals in Portland, OR on December 3rd.

Gabriel Schmid has won many races this cross country season by going the extra mile in training.

On Saturday in the 3A Mideast Regionals, he went the extra tenth-of-a-mile and still won.

Competing at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, Schmid won the men’s individual 3A Mideast Regional Championship on Saturday, a year after finishing fourth in the same event.

The Orange men’s team, who won the regional championship in 2021, finished second in the team standings with 72 points. Durham School of the Arts took the regional title totaling 58 points.

Cedar Ridge, led by senior Roman Morrell finishing fifth overall, came in sixth with 172 points.

The Cedar Ridge women’s team finished fifth in the team standings. Sophomore Naomi Dyreng came in fifth overall in the individual women’s standings while fellow sophomore Abigail Klaitman finished seventh.

Orange’s Grace Pell was the top individual women’s finisher for the Lady Panthers at 23rd.

Schmid’s victory came a year after his former teammate, Spencer Hampton, finished runner-up in the men’s regional race behind Carrboro’s Quinn Baker.

It was Schmid’s fourth win of the 2022 season, his seventh top-five finish and the first Orange runner to win a regional championship at the 3A level.

Schmid knows the course at WakeMed Soccer Park very well. It’s where he won the Early Bird Challenge on August 20, the first race of the season.

That’s why it was a surprise to him when the course appeared to have added a few more turns he wasn’t familiar with on Saturday afternoon. As he went around the trail, the marshals directed him toward a fork. Schmid took a right.

It turned out to be the wrong turn. Schmid went a full tenth-of-a-mile before he realized he was supposed to have taken a left.

“I swear they changed it,” Schmid said.

Fortunately, Schmid was able to correct himself, catch back up and cross the finish line 36 seconds ahead of Northwood’s Christian Glick. Schmid had a time of 15:59.38. Click finished second at 16:35.87.

Last week, Schmid captured the Central Carolina Conference championship at Lake Cammack Cross Country Course in Burlington. The Orange men’s team won the conference championship.

Last spring, Schmid took the regional championship in the 3,200 meters in outdoor track and field at Franklington High School, as well as a 3rd place result in the 1,600 meters. He went on to finish 2nd in the 3,200 meters at the NCHSAA 3A State Championships at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro.

Schmid led a group of young Orange runners to the runner-up team finish. Junior Alden Cathey finished 13th (17:11.72); freshman Lucas Van Mater came in 14th (17:12.50); sophomore Peter Musser was 18th (17:29.09); freshman Myles Jarman came in 28th (18:04.01); sophomore Cyrus Neal was 35th (18:19.03); and Aiden Viola was 44th (18:55.73). For the second straight year, Orange qualified as a team for the 3A State Championships at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville next Saturday.

Morrell, who has five wins and ten top-five finishes this season, will advance to the 3A State Championships, as well. Red Wolves freshman Ryan Matthews finished 26th at 17:51.88. Cedar Ridge sophomore Edgar Ibarra came in 41st (18:50.93), while freshman Michael O’Melia crossed the finish live 52nd. (19:07.04).

In the women’s race, Dyreng’s fifth-place finish came in her first-ever appearance at the regionals. She finished second on the CCC Championships last week in Burlington. This season, Dyreng has three top-five finishes.

Klaitman, also competing in her first regional race, finished seventh at 21:15.01.

Orange’s women’s team, which finished second in the CCC Championships, had Pell lead their pack at 22:36.85. Orange junior Kassi Scarantino finished 34th (23:11.84). Freshman Evelyn Gover came in 35th (23:12.17)

Gabriel Schmid’s preparation for the CCC individual conference championship didn’t start with his first victory of the fall cross country season at the Early Bird Challenge in August.

It began long before that.

After Schmid finished 2nd in the 3A State Track and Field Championships in the 3,200 meters in Greensboro last May, he started an intense summer program that included a trip to Brevard’s long-distance running camp, which included many trips across the Piscah Forest across the North Carolina mountains. Schmid also journeyed to West Virginia for a Ragnar race, which gathers half-marathon runners from across the country.

All of that led to Schmid becoming an individual conference cross country champion while also leading the Orange men’s cross country team to its second consecutive league title.

On Wednesday afternoon at Lake Cammack Cross Country Course in Burlington, Schmid completed the 5,000-meter course in 16:37.42. He finished 47 seconds ahead of the runner-up, Northwood’s Christian Glick, who crossed the finish line at 17:25.14.

Orange junior Alden Cathey came in third at 17:39.66, which propelled the Panthers to the conference championship. Orange finished with 27 points, while Northwood finished second at 38 points. Cedar Ridge, behind senior Roman Morrell, came in third in the team standings at 81 points.

Schmid’s championship was his fourth victory of the season and his sixth top five finish of the season. Last season, Schmid finished third in the conference championship meet. Walter Williams Ryan Montondo captured the CCC crown, while Orange’s Spencer Hampton came in second.

Orange’s men’s conference championship comes after they won the 3A Mideast Regional championship in 2021, its best showing in the event ever.

Orange freshman Lucas Van Mater finished fifth. Sophomore Peter Musser came in seventh, while sophomore Cyrus Neal came in 11th. Myles Hermyn, another Orange freshman, came in 18th.

Cedar Ridge’s Morrell finished in sixth place, while Red Wolves freshman Henry Alexander came in 12th. Freshman Ryan Matthews crossed the finish line 17th, while sophomore Edgar Ibarra was 20th.

It was a day for underclassmen in the CCC Women’s Cross Country Championships. Cedar Ridge sophomore Naomi Dyreng finished in second place at 22:08.39. Only Eastern Alamance sophomore Catherine Parker came in ahead of Dyreng. Parker’s time was 21:15.76 to take the individual title.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Abigail Klaitman finished in third place at 22:39.18.

Even though Orange didn’t have a runner in the top five, the Lady Panthers finished second in the women’s team standings. The Lady Panthers wound up with 63 points. Eastern Alamance took the conference championship with 52 points. Cedar Ridge had 64 points, just one behind Orange.

Orange’s top individual finisher was Grace Pell, a junior who competed in track and field last spring. Pell crossed the finish line at 23:50.16. The Lady Panthers’ Evelyn Gover, a freshman, came in tenth at 23:52.11. The Lady Panthers Sophia Schultz came in 12th at 24:02.25. Orange Junior Kassi Scarantino, who was a member of the Lady Panthers’ women’s soccer team last spring, finished 13th.

Orange and Cedar Ridge will now move on to the 3A Mideast Regional Championships, which will be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. That was the exact location of Schmid’s season-opening victory in August, as well as the location of the 2019 Big 8 Conference Cross Country championships. The regionals will be held on October 29. Orange and Cedar Ridge have qualified for regionals after their finishes in the conference championships.

The 3A State Championships will be held at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. Last year, the Orange men’s team finished 3rd in the state, its best-ever showing at the 3A level.