ALL-CVA CROSS COUNTRY: Satterwhite hits the national stage

It has not been a typical cross country season for Kyle Satterwhite.

The Western Albemarle senior was forced to abandon his normal summer workout after suffering a stress fracture during outdoor track last spring. Instead, Satterwhite prepared for the upcoming season with a cross-training regimen in the pool.

And even though the summer training wasn’t ideal, Satterwhite’s season sure has been.

Satterwhite, The Daily Progress’ All-Central Virginia boys runner of the year, finished third — the top local finisher — at the Group AA meet in November.

And he’s not finished yet. With a seventh-place finish in the Foot Locker South Regional in Charlotte, N.C., Satterwhite earned a berth in the Foot Locker National Championships, which will be held on Saturday in San Diego.

“I knew I had to peak at the right time, so I stayed with the goal,” Satterwhite said. “It worked out, and I hit my peak at states. Foot Locker was just the icing on top of the cake. I had nothing to lose, so I went out there to see what would happen.”

Satterwhite stayed consistent throughout the year, as he recorded a third-place finish in the Jefferson District meet behind teammate Tyler Stutzman and Louisa County’s Thomas Baker to help Western win the title. In the Region II meet, he was the runner-up behind Stutzman.

“Without running, he still came into the season in pretty good shape. He didn’t race early, but did race at the Ragged Mountain Cup,” said Western Albemarle coach Lindy Bain. “He realized the team wasn’t going to win if he didn’t run. He ran really well at Maymont, and that gave him some confidence. [At that point] he was close to being back where he wanted to be. He kept focus and kept believing. Losing that time for training, and still getting stronger every week was a really nice situation for him to be in.”

Satterwhite, who won both the region and district cross country titles as a junior, knows his success wouldn’t have been possible without his teammates and coaches.

“The team helped me out there — to be able to run out there with guys who are your friends makes it a whole lot easier,” Satterwhite said.

Satterwhite said he plans to run at the next level, but hasn’t settled on a college yet. Among his choices are several state schools, including Virginia Tech, VMI and William and Mary, as well as Syracuse, N.C. State and the U.S. Naval Academy.

“I’m just working on finding the right place,” Satterwhite said.

For the past four years, Western Albemarle has been the right place to hone his skills, and Satterwhite has undoubtedly left his mark on the program.

“He’s been exemplary as far as taking the time to encourage and talk to the younger guys,” Bain said. “Having that talent, and somebody working hard to be the best they can be has been great for people to look up to.”