It took Robinson senior Lauren Berman about a year to recover from her ankle surgery in November of 2012.
For her hard work and dedication, Berman was rewarded with a first-time accomplishment near the end of her senior season.
Berman, a Virginia Tech commit, won the Conference 5 championship with a time of 17:39 on Oct. 30 at Burke Lake Park.
“It was great to end it this way,” Berman said about her last conference meet. “… It feels awesome to not only prove it to myself but prove it to [my teammates].”
Berman said she entered the race with a goal.
“I wanted to break the tape really badly,” she said. “I’ve never been able to do that.”
Berman’s performance helped the Robinson girls’ cross country team secure a regional berth with a runner-up finish. Oakton won the team title with a score of 30, followed by Robinson (49), Westfield (83) and Chantilly (116).
Robinson’s Mary Katherine Mastaler placed sixth with a time of 18:14. Maggie Larkin placed 11th (18:32), Lia Hanus finished 15th (19:19) and Paige Rathburn took 16th (19:20).
The Robinson boys’ team also earned a regional berth, placing third. Chantilly won the title with a score of 47, followed by Oakton (52), Robinson (62) and Centreville (86).
Patrick Myers placed fourth for the Rams with a time of 15:28. Hunter Jutras placed sixth (15:29), Nicholas Hite finished 10th (15:47), Cory Runkel was 21st (16:23) and Gavin Camby finished 22nd (16:27).
The 6A North region meet was held Wednesday, Nov. 5.
The 6A state meet will be held Saturday, Nov. 15 at Great Meadow.