Back-to-back state championships: Congrats to the Marvin Ridge HS boys cross country team
WAXHAW, N.C. — For a second year in a row, the Marvin Ridge High School men’s cross country team has won the state championship! On November 2nd 2024, At the NCHSAA championship meet held at Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville, NC, the team’s top seven runners competed against athletes from forty-forty other schools in the state. Kyle Barney, David Firestone, Tristen Gentille, Alex Holtgrewe, Ishan More, David Rivlin, and Michael Rivlin each ran their hearts out, bringing home the second win in two years for the Mavericks.
The Road to the Championship
At the regional or state level, only seven runners participate from each school. For Marvin Ridge, these seven were all seniors and juniors. Almost all of them have been competing together since the seventh grade, and the boys have developed a close, if competitive, bond over the years. When the Maverick’s hired Coach Kailyn Lockie, “They went from really good to what I’d call elite,” says team parent Douglas Rivlin. Indeed, over her seven years of coaching Marvin Ridge High School, Coach Lockie was able to inspire her athletes to accomplish something that hadn’t been done by a Charlotte area men’s team since 2001 – bring home the win for the 4A state championship. When asked how she inspires the team before a race, she says, “I try to get them excited for the race, for the opportunity. I tell them to leave everything out there.” (pull quote) Alongside Coach Lockie are coaches Lisa Sluiter and Brian Wilson. Of the seven competing in November’s race, all but one also participated in the 2023 state championship, and each of them improved their time from the previous year. The school’s top runner and co-captain, David Rivlin, who was recovering from an injury at the 2023 state championship, was able to move up 20 places from last year’s race and take fourth place overall and received all-state recognition. He now holds Marvin Ridge High School’s 5k record at 15:11. His co-captain, David Firestone, earned his second all-state (top 10) distinction, coming in 10th place overall at 15:44.
Awards All Around
Along with their two championship rings, flags, and medals from their back-to-back titles, the team holds many other awards and recognitions. David Rivlin was designated the Charlotte Observer’s Top Male Runner in the Charlotte Region for 2024, and Coach Lockie was awarded the Charlotte Observer’s Boy’s 2024 Coach of the Year, the Southern Conference Coach of the Year for a second year in a row, and Marvin Ridge High School’s Coach of the Year. Several of the seniors plan to continue their running career in college, with David Rivlin and Kyle Barney both being D1 commits to UNC Charlotte in the fall.
The Future of MRHS Cross Country
After nearly six years of competing together, the seniors will be sad to leave behind Marvin Ridge High School, the rest of their cross country team, and coaches Lockie, Sluiter, and Wilson. And of course, their pre-race ritual of eating together at Nothing But Noodles the night before a meet. The runners are close friends outside of cross country, and over the years, they’ve helped inspire one another to keep rising to bigger and bigger challenges. With five of the seven competitors graduating in the spring, next year’s Maverick’s will have to put in the work and keep up with the same level of dedication to bring home the three-peat. Luckily, David’s brother Michael Rivlin and Tristan Gentille, who both competed in the 2023 and 2024 championship races, will be back to help bring home more wins for Marvin Ridge. It takes a whole team effort to accomplish back-to-back championship titles, and this team dedicated themselves to performing at the top of their game. They pump each other up, encourage one another, and have shown the state just how far a team can go with some exceptionally talented athletes and coaches.
Let’s Meet the Athletes:
How does it feel to win back-to-back state championships?
Kyle Barney: It feels great since many athletes won’t ever get a chance to win even once.
Michael Rivlin: It feels amazing to know we are at the top again.
What’s on your running playlist?
Tristen Gentille: Travis Scott, Yeat, Drake, Don Silver, and Playboi Carti.
What’s the biggest challenge in your sport?
Barney: Staying consistent and motivated on hard days.
How does your coach inspire you?
David Rivlin: Coach Lockie is the driving manager of our team’s success. Her commitment to the program day-in and day-out helped us perform at the highest level. The work of coaches Lisa Sluiter and Brian Wilson should also be recognized. Sluiter was a key contributor to talks about training, nutrition, and mentality throughout the season. Wilson’s positive attitude brought athletes a renewed sense of readiness on race day, helping us access our fullest potential.
How do you encourage team members before a race?
Alex Holtgrewe: After running with these guys for years, we’ve sort of established what everyone needs before a race. Some people need to be pumped up, and others need to be calmed down.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Michael Rivlin: What’s the point of stopping if you’re already running?
What do you love about running?
David Rivlin: The team culture, lifestyle, and friendships that develop along the way. The kids I run with are some of my best friends off the track or gravel course.
Gentille: The vibes and the people it brings. When I first started running, I did not like it, but now there isn’t anything else I would rather do.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Holtgrewe: Competing at such a high level, the team aspect is even more important. Everyone performing their best on one day is unlikely, so someone needs to be there to step up when something goes wrong.
David Firestone: I’ve learned the importance of being a supportive and uplifting teammate, the importance of shared goals and ambition, and the significance of being more than just teammates and building team chemistry and relationships.
What’s your favorite thing about running?
Firestone: The people – I really enjoy spending time with my teammates both during practice and outside of practice.
Where would you like to see your running career go?
Barney: I’d like to break four minutes in the mile.
Favorite places to run?
David Rivlin: One of the most extraordinary places I’ve ever run has been the altitude of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
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