The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ cross country team won the Bishop Sullivan Invitational Thursday.

The Lady Saints matched up TCIS opponents at Mount Trashmore for their second cross country meet of the season.  NSA took first place with a score of 38 in the Bishop Sullivan Cross Country Invitational. Lady Saints coach Karen Norman was extremely proud of her team’s effort.

“They did a fabulous job,” she said. “I saw them really running as a team and using each other to pull each other along, and they just did a great job.”

Five NSA runners finished within the top 10 overall. Eighth-grader Emma Conrod, was the No. 1 finisher for NSA and the No. 4 overall finisher for the whole meet with a time of 23:13. Frances Hope, Abby Conrod, Kaylee Moore and Camryn King all followed at seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th respectively.

NSA has a young team this year. They have one senior, and the rest of the team is made up of eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders. Norman says her team is extremely dedicated and focused. They run for each other, which is an important component to cross country. It is a hard sport, so having 100 percent support from teammates helps make the process of practicing and meets easier.

“They are very supportive of each other, and that makes all the defense in the world,” Norman said. “I’m really proud of them. They run five or six miles every practice, and it is hard to do. They encourage each other during practice which is crucial.”

NSA plans to build on this win, but with such a young team, Norman doesn’t want to throw too much to her team at once. She just wants her team to continue to enjoy each moment. There is a lot of good competition in the TCIS and in the state, so Norman hopes the Lady Saints do the best they can and remain healthy.

The next meet for NSA will be the Bill McCough Invitational at Peninsula Catholic High School at 9 a.m. Sept. 16.