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.
