Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 15, 1995 TAG: 9510160098
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``My sister Valerie's wedding started at 2 p.m.,'' said Nervo, whose race began 15 minutes later.
``I've missed it, but I'll be at the reception. She [Valerie] told me it was OK to miss [the wedding], but that I'd better win.''
Nervo and her family figured there was good reason to run the Metro.
``So far I'm the only person to have won it four times and that means a lot to me. It wasn't just another run,'' said Nervo, whose brother John, a freshman at Glenvar, also missed the wedding to finish fifth in the boys' varsity.
Valerie Nervo didn't have to worry. Sister Trish's only competition was the clock. Despite not having anyone to push her, the Glenvar senior wiped 24 seconds off the record she set last year to become the first four-time winner in the Metro meet.
It was one minute, 11 seconds better than her time as a freshman, which was also a record. Nervo broke the record every year. As a freshman, Nervo pulled out on the first hill. Saturday, she was long gone when the starting gun exploded.
With her final Metro performance, Nervo lived up to her billing as a freshman when cross country observers predicted she'd be the best runner here for four years and one of the better ones in the south region
Nervo didn't get to race against Blacksburg's Sarah Hendricks, one of the state's top Group AA runners who passed up this meet.
``I still get nervous when I have to run her and my coach [Dickie Myers] didn't tell me she wouldn't be here. I saw some Blacksburg runners and Coach Myers told me she was here. So I got nervous,'' said Nervo.
``I wish she had been here because she's the best runner I've run from around here and she pushes me.''
If Nervo's performance was expected, the boys' race was completely unexpected. Oh yes, it was taken by a Christiansburg runner. That was a foregone conclusion.
At the last minute, Justin Moseby was a no-show so teammate Matt Nolan posted a 21-second victory over Staunton River's Brian Harlor, who had been one of a list of candidates that might challenge Moseby if they had a career run.
Though Moseby didn't appear, Nolan was a good stand-in. He was All-Timesland as a freshman and was one of the big reasons Christiansburg won the Group AA title last year.
``Our guys took the weekend off. There are too many big meets coming up. It was like a ping-pong ball all week whether Justin and the others would come,'' Christiansburg coach Steve Shelton said.
Nolan came because he's the one Blue Demon runner who needs the work for the upcoming district, regional and state meets. A pulled hip muscle kept him out the first month.
``The rain helped a whole lot. I always run well in cool weather. I went out fifth and stayed there until the mile,'' said Nolan, who then whipped to the front and took control.
``I'm about 85 percent, but I'm going to be 100 percent by the regional,'' he added.
Lord Botetourt (boys) and Alleghany (girls) took team titles. The Cavaliers, stamping themselves as the team to beat in the Blue Ridge District, placed four runners in the top 15 with Michael Pauley and Will Wyche coming in eighth and ninth, respectively.
Christiansburg and Blacksburg didn't bring enough top varsity runners to challenge, though the Indians did qualify as a team by bringing some reserve runners.
by CNB