Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Historically, for the past 10 years, Blacksburg High School’s cross country and track program has been one of the tops in the state.
Six of this year’s group announced plans this week to continue their track careers at the next level.
Trent Nichols, a varsity runner, has committed to run cross-country and track and field at the University of Mary Washington. He is a four-year member of the indoor and outdoor track and field team and a two-year member of the cross country team.
He has accumulated multiple medals while competing in junior varsity cross country races. He also anchored the 4×800 relay team to a third place finish at the 2025 indoor region 4D championships where BHS won the meet. Nichols plans to study cybersecurity at the University of Mary Washington.
Asher Roach, a senior varsity cross country / track and field runner, will sign his national letter of intent to run and continue his academic career at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Roach has been a team leader for both the Blacksburg cross country and track and field teams, racing in three consecutive cross country state championships as well as national-qualifying relays. He was the 2024 Region 4D Cross Country Champion and placed seventh in the state, winning all-state honors there. He qualified for three individual races at the 2025 Indoor Track State Championships.
Roach received Best Newcomer and Most Improved Awards for the BHS Cross Country team in previous years, and he was named Team MVP as a senior. He is a four-year varsity cross country and outdoor track and field letterman, earning a letter in indoor track and field his junior and senior years.
He plans to study engineering while attending UNC Asheville.
Louis Semtner, a senior varsity runner, will sign his National Letter of Intent to run and continue his academic career at Longwood University and study environmental science. Semtner is a four-year varsity member of the BHS cross country and indoor track teams and a two-year member of the outdoor track team. Semtner has participated in New Balance Indoor Nationals in 2024 and 2025 and competed at Penn Relays in 2024.
He is an all-state runner placing eighth in the 1000-meter, third in the 4×8 in 2024, 4th in the 4×4 in 2024 and 2025. He was part of the indoor state champion in the 4×8 relay in 2025.
Aiden Carrier, a senior varsity distance runner, has committed to continuing his academic and athletic career at Winthrop University. Carrier is a four-year member of the BHS cross country and track teams, and a captain of the cross country/distance team this year.
Carrier has been a letter earner since his freshman year and has been on varsity since his sophomore year. He is also a two-time all-region runner in the one-k. Carrier has been awarded the BHS Cross Country Lynchpin award this past season and has continued to be a key piece of Blacksburg’s vibrant running community. After graduating from BHS, Carrier plans to major in Kinesiology and Exercise Science.
Miles Carrier, a senior cross country and track runner, will sign his national letter of intent to continue his academic and athletic career at Winthrop University. Carrier runs cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track, and has been a varsity runner since sophomore year. He has been a letter-earner since freshman year and has competed in multiple regional meets. He is a hard-working and extremely dedicated member of his team. Carrier has been running competitively since sixth grade. He plans to study political science.
Leighton McGee, a senior pole vaulter, will continue his academic and athletic career at William and Mary. He has been a member of the Blacksburg High School track and field program since the outdoor season of his freshman year. He is a three-time All-State track athlete. He earned second place at the Virginia High School League State (VHSL) Championships, tying for first in a historic meet where, for the first time in VHSL history, three athletes attempted 16 feet.
His school records include 15’6″ for indoor track and 15’7″ for outdoor, both of which surpassed the previous school records made in 1985 of 15’1″ (indoor) and 14’6″ (outdoor). He also set the Blacksburg High School facility record in the pole vault.
McGee was awarded the prestigious Bruin Award for his leadership and hard work and was named Field Event MVP at his school. In addition to athletics, he is a part of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society and spent a year studying abroad in Norway.
McGee plans to study business at William and Mary and will pursue excellence in both academics and athletics.
But it was not just track athletes who signed letters of intent this week in front of friends, family and teammates.
Evelynn Ihlefeld, a senior lacrosse player, will sign her national letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic career at UVA-Wise. Ihlefeld started playing lacrosse with the New River Valley Lacrosse Club in first grade. She has played on local travel teams, as well. The summer of her tenth grade year she attended a prospect camp at UVA-Wise and knew she wanted to continue playing lacrosse with their program upon graduation.
Ihlefeld plans to study sports marketing and management at UVA-Wise.
Braden Henderson, a senior wrestler at Blacksburg high school will sign his commitment to Roanoke College to further his academic and wrestling career. Henderson started his wrestling career in the sixth grade at Blacksburg Middle School after coach Ryan Wade grabbed him out of the hall and told him he would be wrestling.
Henderson is a four-year varsity letterman, four-year team captain, four-year region placer, three time region champion and four time state placer, finishing fifth his freshman year, fourth his sophomore year, state champion as a junior and state runner-up as a senior. He has compiled a high school career record of 134 wins and 18 losses. Henderson plans to pursue a degree in psychology.
Anna Boteler, a senior equestrian, will sign her celebratory commitment letter to continue her academic and athletic career at Sweet Briar College. Boteler rides in the Hunter, Jumper, and Equitation rings, primarily focusing on Hunters. She has claimed two consecutive Virginia state titles as the Champion Hunter Rider and Champion Equitation Rider. She has also led several of her young horses to championships at both the state and national level.
Boteler has been on the Virginia Tech IEA Team for eight years and has been the Open rider during the past two years. Anna qualified for post-season seven times, has won the IEA Sportsmanship award on multiple occasions, and claimed the High Point Rider award four times during her junior and senior years of high school.
Outside of the saddle, she is a Nationally Certified EMT, holds the Junior Lieutenant position at Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad, and has held several leadership positions within Blacksburg FFA. She credits all of her success to her coach, Beth Sheely, who is a USHJA Certified Trainer and the IHSA Equestrian Team Coach at Virginia Tech.
Boteler plans to study Business and Political Science at Sweet Briar College.
