Guilford County Schools athletes made their presence felt at the 2025 NCHSAA State Cross Country Championships, turning in standout performances across the 6A, 7A, and 8A classifications at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex.
From Northern Guilford’s depth to Ragsdale’s top finishers and Southeast Guilford’s steady pack, the county’s runners delivered another strong showing on the state stage.
18 athletes broke the 22-minute barrier for the girls, while 15 boys finished under 18:30.
Northern Guilford Leads the County Charge in 6A Girls
The Northern Guilford girls posted one of the strongest team efforts among Triad schools, placing multiple runners inside the top 40.
Senior Peyton Simpson paced the Nighthawks with a 23rd-place finish (20:00.59), followed closely by freshman Lily McKim (24th, 20:04.37). Junior Inaya Ejaz came through in 37th (20:45.60), and Reagan Woodliff added a 40th-place finish (20:51.35). Rounding out the team scoring were Iman Ismail (72nd, 21:58.86) and Avery Simpson (94th, 23:10.35), as Northern’s depth secured them a top-10 team finish.
Ragsdale’s Faith Thomas was among the state’s elite once again, clocking 19:41.45 for 18th overall, while teammate Ndanu Pope ran 21:28.93 for a top-60 mark.
Southeast Guilford placed three in the top 70 — Adah Zimmer (47th, 21:04.58), Maria Dunlap (66th, 21:45.07), and Ivy Bridges (67th, 21:46.60) — while Western Guilford’s Awa Rabi Sow (27:18.93) represented her school on the championship course.
Northern Guilford Boys Place Multiple Runners Under 18 Minutes
On the boys’ side, Northern Guilford again set the pace for Guilford County.
Junior Robert Sutcliffe led all local 6A runners with a 14th-place finish (16:45.72), while senior Alexander Jones ran 17:42.73 for 53rd. The Nighthawks packed six runners under 20 minutes, including Michael Arny (91st, 18:36.94), Benjamin Wrinkle (104th, 19:02.69), and Jacob Maness (105th, 19:02.95).
Ragsdale’s Jonathan Sadamura (76th, 18:20.29) was the top Tiger finisher, and Southeast Guilford’s Cameron Anderson (83rd, 18:32.99) led the Falcons’ effort with four under 19:10. Western Guilford’s Zyere Griggs (19:34.01) rounded out the county’s 6A representation.
Southwest Guilford, Grimsley, and Page Represent in 7A
In the 7A races, Southwest Guilford’s Piper Zack (53rd, 20:19.96) led the way for the girls, followed by Grimsley freshman Jacey Hyatt (59th, 20:31.51) and Page’s Nell McLean (60th, 20:32.42) — all breaking 20:35 in a deep field of state finalists.
On the boys’ side, Southwest Guilford’s Isse Farah (72nd, 17:12.77) and Grimsley’s Rowan Sedgwick-Buffer (73rd, 17:13.28) both cracked the top 75, with Page’s Clark Wahlberg (102nd, 17:50.28) and Faneal Tsegay (104th, 17:51.34) close behind.
Northwest Guilford Makes Its Mark in 8A
In the state’s largest classification, Northwest Guilford proved its depth on the biggest stage.
Junior Cameron Matthews clocked 21:20.14 to place 82nd in the girls’ 8A race, while Lucas Lam (65th, 17:20.63) and Will Johnson (69th, 17:24.59) represented the Vikings among the boys’ top 70 in a highly competitive field of more than 200 runners.
Guilford County Schools Results
6A Girls
- 18 – Faith Thomas (Ragsdale) – 19:41.45
- 23 – Peyton Simpson (Northern Guilford) – 20:00.59
- 24 – Lily McKim (Northern Guilford) – 20:04.37
- 37 – Inaya Ejaz (Northern Guilford) – 20:45.60
- 40 – Reagan Woodliff (Northern Guilford) – 20:51.35
- 47 – Adah Zimmer (Southeast Guilford) – 21:04.58
- 59 – Ndanu Pope (Ragsdale) – 21:28.93
- 66 – Maria Dunlap (Southeaset Guilford) – 21:45.07
- 67 – Ivy Bridges (Southeast Guilford) – 21:46.60
- 72 – Iman Ismail (Northern Guilford) – 21:58.86
- 94 – Avery Simpson (Northern Guilford) – 23:10.35
- 97 – Hayden Haumann (Southeast Guilford) – 23:21.81
- 123 – Amera Abukhalaf (Western Guilford) – 24:51.10
- 124 – Logan Brundage (Ragsdale) – 25:28.64
- 126 – Kinsley Schultz (Northern Guilford) – 25:50.72
- 133 – Awa Rabi Sow (Western Guilford) – 27:18.93
- 136 – Alia Ibrahim (Southeast Guilford) – 29:35.25
6A Boys
- 14 – Robert Sutcliffe (Northern Guilford) – 16:45.72
- 53 – Alexander Jones (Northern Guilford) – 17:42.73
- 76 – Jonathan Sadamura (Ragsdale) – 18:20.29
- 83 – Cameron Anderson (Southeast Guilford) – 18:32.99
- 91 – Michael Arny (Northern Guilford) – 18:36.94
- 92 – Caden Fuller (Southeast Guilford) – 18:37.22
- 95 – Jacob Vandiver (Southeast Guilford) – 18:46.88
- 99 – Stephen Caleb Hix (Ragsdale) – 18:53.20
- 104 – Benjamin Wrinkle (Northern Guilford) – 19:02.69
- 105 – Jacob Maness (Southeast Guilford) – 19:02.95
- 114 – Bryce Whiteside (Southeast Guilford) – 19:10.75
- 124 – Zyere Griggs (Western Guilford) – 19:34.01
- 128 – Carter Parrish (Northern Guilford) – 19:37.35
- 130 – Rhone Kiley (Northern Guilford) – 19:41.57
- 132 – Brayden Law (Northern Guilford) – 19:46.73
- 138 – Gavin Cox (Southeast Guilford) – 20:25.46
- 144 – Leland Sessoms (Southeast Guilford) – 22:26.73
7A Girls
- 53 – Piper Zack (Southwest Guilford) – 20:19.96
- 59 – Jacey Hyatt (Grimsley) – 20:31.51
- 60 – Nell McLean (Page) – 20:32.42
7A Boys
- 72 – Isse Farah (Southwest Guilford) – 17:12.77
- 73 – Rowan Sedgwick-Bufter (Grimsley) – 17:13.28
- 102 – Clark Wahlberg (Page) – 17:50.28
- 104 – Faneal Tsegay (Southwest Guilford) – 17:51.34
8A Girls
- 82 – Cameron Matthews (Northwest Guilford) – 21:20.14
8A Boys
- 65 – Lucas Lam (Northwest Guilford) – 17:20.63
- 69 – Will Johnson (Northwest Guilford) – 17:24.59
