The first Orange Panther of the Week for the 2022-2023 academic year is junior cross country runner Gabiel Schmid. On Saturday, Schmid won the Early Bird Challenge at WakeMed Soccer Park in Apex. Schmid outran 179 other competitors to win the first invitational race of his career with a time of 16:01.37, a full 40 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. As a sophomore, Schmid was a member of the most successful men’s cross country team in Orange history. In 2021, Orange won the 3A Mideast Regional championship. Last spring, Schmid finished 2nd in the 3,200 meters in the 3A State Track & Field Championships at North Carolina A&T University. This summer, Schmid prepared for the upcoming season by training in the mountain terrain in Brevard. Last season, Schmid won two individual cross country dual meets as a sophomore. Now, with some members of Orange’s championship team graduated, Schmid is set to lead the Panthers to new heights as the 2022 season starts in earnest on September 7. The Panthers will face Cedar Ridge in a dual meet in Hillsborough.