10/14 WKND: Springer-Seymour shine, Germtwn Fr top PA team in NY|Radnor & Haven win|Tennent DQs

Running in the last race of the Varsity boys line-up,
Paul Springer had good position crossing the bridge for the back hills.
He won the race in the 7th best time of the day, 12:28.53.

10/14 WEEK #7 SUMMARY:

(More detailed summaries are below. Links to meet results and photo galleries are to the right)

Coatesville-Henderson-Avon Grove Dual Meet Photo Gallery by Don Rich

Both Races at the 10/11 Coatesville-Henderson-Avon Grove dual meet

Results of the 10/11 Coatesville-Henderson-Avon Grove dual meet

10/12 Fayette County Coaches XC Meet @ Penn State-Fayette

RESULTS NEEDED

10/12 Mingo Classic @ Mingo Creek Park

RESULTS POSTED

By Thomas LaBuff
Shrugging off gusting winds, 40 degree temperatures, a soft, often muddy course, and some stiff competition, Gateway's boys and girls cross country teams won their respective races at the Mingo Classic Cross Country Championships. The Gator boys were dominant, sweeping the first three places. Close behind gold medalist Eddie MacMurchy (17:04) were D J Krystek and Ricky Carson. Alex Loughran and Adam Tucek steamed across the finish line in 10th and 12th place respectively. The Gator girls edged host Baldwin by a single point, earning the victory with a strong team effort. The Gators had five medalists: Lisa DeLorenzo (3rd), Sue Gogniat (11th), Mara Polnar (14th), Amy Beck (19th), and Hannah Kendig (20th). The coaching staff was particularly pleased with the win since the team was hampered by the illness of number three runner Lauren Wagener. Baldwin's Christie Domis won in 19:52.

10/14 Carnegie Mellon University Cross Country Inv (COLLEGE)

RESULTS POSTED

10/14 DELCO Championships @ Rose Tree Park

RESULTS POSTED

Cardinal O'Hara pushed the early pace, with Radnor marking them near 1/2 mile at DELCOs.
(Photo by Craig Holm)

With reporting from Harry Chaykun of the Delaware County Daily Times: The Radnor girls won for the second year in row and third time in four years. Radnor's Katie Lally, who was the individual champion as a freshman in 2005, suffered a bad spill in the first half mile where course narrows considerably because of construction equipment on course for new pipeline project in progress. But the depth of the PA#1 team was evident as the team took five of the top 13 and six of the top 18 spots behind the 18:48 2nd place by senior Liz Milewski, with frosh Kelyn Freedman in 3rd at 19:04. The 1:12 gap was strong, considering the three scoring seniors had taken the SATs in the morning, and that sophomore Lally had to regroup after her fall near the start of the race. Archbishop Carroll's Amanda Bascelli, a freshman, captured first with an 18:40 to become the first individual champion from her school. Strath Haven's Rob Speare led the boys' race up to the final hill, but almost collapsed at the finish after eventual champ Ed Buck of Cardinal O'Hara and teammate Kevin Murray had passed him. But the team title belonged to Haven... the first for the boys. Buck became the fifth boy in a row from O'Hara to finish first, going 15:59. (Vince Gravelle in 2002, Steve Hallinan in 2003, Greg Thomas in 2004 and 2005). Haven's 41 points results from placing four in the top eight. O'Hara finished 2nd with 62, and beat Haverford on the 6th man after a tie.

10/14 Gettysburg Invitational (COLLEGE)

RESULTS POSTED

10/14 Lower Dauphin Middle School Meet of Champs @ Lower Dauphin MS 2.0 Miles

RESULTS NEEDED

Central Cambria junior Carly Seymour
finished a confidence-boosting
6th in the Eastern States race.
Her 14:30 was the 6th best on the day.

10/14 Manhattan Invitational @ Van Cortlandt Park (2.5 Miles)

RESULTS POSTED

By Don Rich

Carly Seymour won AA States as a sophomore. She had run some great times during the season. But she was unable to finish the 2005 Northeast Foot Locker Regional. So part of returning to Van Cortlandt Park – the scene of an unpleasant memory – was to replace that memory with a better one. What she got by racing under the sun-splashed sky and through the undulations of Vanny's back hills, was a great memory. "I got that (2005) race out of my system." Running in the elite Girls'Eastern States, the featured event, Seymour led her young up-and-coming Central Cambria Red Devils with a powerful, confidence-building 6th place finish in 14:29.97 - just 15 seconds behind two-time Foot Locker Finalist Hannah Davidson of Saratoga Springs NY; within ten seconds of 2005 FL Finalist Shelby Greany of Suffern NY, and within two seconds of two-time FL Finalist Caitlin Lane of Greenwich NY. She had run most of the race in 4th, but was passed on the final straightaway by Lane and another runner. "I am not a sprinter. I guess this will help when it comes to speed." Central Cambria head coach Randy Wilson said he was very impressed with her performance..."After last year, this was a great accomplishment. I really think 6th in Eastern States rivals the state championship on any level." Seymour says that any pre-race nerves were gone very quickly, right along with the pace..."once it got started, I had such a rush. People being around me was so exciting. It was the fastest I think I have ever run." Considering the course, it is actually a sub-18, only cutting out part of the flat start and finish of the 5K course. Seymour has more than her own race to be excited about, because this year she has a team that is as enthusiastic about running as she is. Younger sister Kelsey is a freshman, and there's another Seymour on the way for 2006. Only two of the top eight this year are seniors, with sophomores Annie Cekada, and Kaitlyn Brown and Ali Maruca, along with freshman Morgan Eckenrod making up the nucleus of a strong team this year and next. Carly says the team goals are high for states following last season's 6th place finish. And Wilson says setting high goals is one of the main reasons he brought both the girls and boys squads to race in the Manhattan Invitational. Wilson says his reasoning is that you can't get nervous for a local race, even Districts or States, after experiencing the scene of more than 10,000 other runners in 38 races. "Maybe this experience gets someone to train a little bit harder." But Wilson says that he is hoping to create a culture where athletes will aspire to achieve national goals such as Foot Lockers and Nike Team Nationals. "If we don't set the bar high, we're never going to get over it. If we keep just being happy with doing little stuff, then we're never going to see how good we could possibly be. This was the first step." Seymour agrees with her coach. "This year I have a lot more confidence. I have more experience, and that helps a lot."

In the Varsity Girls C race, North Penn finished 3rd with 137 points. Lauren Bond was the top finisher, running 16:17.41 for 15th. Abby Simmons, Jennifer Schofield and Sarah Adams also finished in the top 30. Hatboro-Horsham finished 8th in the Varsity Girls F race behind a 13th place 15:49.9 by Kerry Swayne.

Germantown Friends posted the best team average
of the day for a PA squad, and were 13th in merged scoring.

In the earlier boys races, Unionville's Paul Springer got his first taste of Van Cortlandt Park, and had a pretty strong performance to show for it. Running in the final boys race of the day, the Varsity G, Springer tucked in behind a lead pack crossing the bridge before the hills. "I held back a little. I took the lead going up the hill after the bridge, and three of us got some separation." By the time he emerged from the woods, he decided it was time to take full control. "I wanted the win." Using his speed, he was able to gap them on the final straight to finish in 12:28.53, the 7th best time of the day, and 18 seconds off the two sub-12:11 performances that were all-time marks. Springer was impressed with the record-setting times of Craig Forys and Tommy Gruenwald. "If I had pushed, I don't think I could have run 2:10, but I think I could have gone 2:15." And he liked the course...'I thought it would be more hilly." He also likes his chances for Foot Lockers when he returns to the course in late November. The PCL's LaSalle finished 3rd in the same race, led by the 18th place finish by Tim Heck in 13:23.82. Steve Dorset was 22nd, Dan Lawry 32nd, and Phil Wood 38th. In the Varsity Boys B race, Hatboro's Horsham's Dan Hibbs took the race out hard, had a small lead by the end of Freshman Hill, and extended it once across the bridge. His 12:52.74 puts him on an elite list of sub-13s on the storied course. Teammates Steve Topper, Seth Hibbs, and Ben Cutilli finished in the top 31 to finish 4th in the race with 131 points. North Penn finished 6th in the Varsity Boys C Race behind the 6th place finish of Zach Hoagland in a great 12:57.67, and the 8th place by Zach Montijo in 13:00.48. In the Varsity Boys F race, Phil Steinberg was the top finisher for Central Cambria, finishing 44th in 14:01.3.

Central Cambria brought a full two varsity squads to NY
to get experience and "raise the bar" according to coach Randy Wilson.

The best race on the day by a PA team came in the Varsity Boys E race, as Germantown Friends took 4th with 135 points behind a 12:44.68 8th place by Max Kaulbach and 13:07.22 13th place by Jake McKenzie. Isaac Ortiz was 30th in 13:25.02 and Jasper Sneff-Nanni was 40th in 13:46.75. Their 5th runner was within ten seconds, giving them the 13th best team average of 13:25, good for 13th on the day in all races. And their next two cam in within nine seconds. Coach Rob Hewitt is excited about the possibilities for this team this year... but especially next. The top three are juniors, and the 5-7 are also underclassmen. "It's the same group of guys who have been here for the last two years. Now in their third year, they are getting confidence they are ready." Their goal for this meet – after announcing their talent with a surprising win at the 9/29 Paul Short Invitational – was to have the best PA team average. That mission was accomplished.

Manhattan Invitational Photo Gallery by Don Rich

Select Pix of the Varsity Races at the Manhattan Invitational @ Van Cortlandt Park, New York

10/14 Rocky Grove Invitational @ Two-Mile Run State Park

RESULTS POSTED

General McLane swept both team races, but had to settle for one individual and one runner-up spot. The boys scored 43 points behind sophomore Bryan Baumgartner's 17:25. He was helped by teammate Dan Dillon, 6th in 17:52, and five others placing in the top 17. Joey Smith, a Mercer senior, was 2nd in 17:33, with Maplewood teammates Matt Mumford and Charles Bracken one and six seconds back, respectively. Mercer took 1st and 3rd with Melissa Smith going 20:04 for the win and Mary Kate Breese 20:28. But Hilary Weismiller of McLane went 20:19 to take 2nd, and teammates came across in 10th, 19th, 21st and 26th to tally 74 points for a seven point margin on 2nd place Union City.

10/14 Slippery Rock Invitational (COLLEGE)

RESULTS POSTED

Not sure how much you can see from there, but these runners found
the big rock at Vanny in NY to be an entertaining perch.

10/14 State College Invitational @ State College HS 3.2 Miles

RESULTS POSTED

Even without Katherine Ward, the State College girls defended their home course, this one designed to 3.13 miles, taking five of the top 12 places for 30 points, 11 better than Altoona. Edel Crowe won in a strong 19:54. The Lions also captured the boys' race with just 22 points behind the 2-3-4-5 by Josh Gainer, 16:28, Rick Koubek in 16:33, Mike Williams in 16:35, and Matt Kisenwether in 16:49. Matt Lanagan came in at 14 in 17:18 to round out the scoring five. Christopher Snyder of McConnellsburg captured the individual title, running a quick 16:18.

10/14 William Tennent Invitational @ William Tennent HS 3.05 Miles

RESULTS POSTED

Upper Dublin swept both varsity races on the 4900 meter William Tennent course, which was redesigned in the first half mile and in the last mile to evade construction. The changes added 100 meters to the original 4800 meter course. What the changes didn't do is create circumstances under which three of the girls leading the varsity race were disqualified after finishing in that order, because they had accidently cut the course. Meet Director Ted Abel says that it indeed was a unique set of circumstances that led to the wrong turn, and that the meet, the athletes and their coaches share in the responsibility. Abel says that while the disqualification was unfortunate, that "by rule, runners who do not run the proper course during a race are disqualified unless they retrace their steps and correct the error." The result was that Kate Ross of Central Bucks East, Sarah Simonetti of Pennridge, and Shatievah Lewis of Robeson HS were leading at the time of the error, and did not hear a late-arriving marshall yelling for them to turn around. The marshall was able to catch the attention of the 4th place runner, and that individual re-traced her steps. Abel says that the course was clearly marked, the section in question has not changed in decades, and that the course map clearly indicated the correct turns. Additionally, the starter had followed procedure and asked if there were any questions about the course. There were apparently none. The resulting DQ cost Pennridge quite a few points, and they would finish in 2nd, 32 behind Upper Dublin. Upper Dublin ran their 5th runner in the JV race, where she won in a time that would have given Upper Dublin the win either way, if she had run varsity. Ohhh, sorry Marie... but yes, there was a winner in this race. Marie Thompson of Downingtown East, who went 19:19, which converts to a PennTrackXC elite 3-mile mark of 19:05. Upper Dublin's Heather Calisto and Kelsey Rose took 2nd and 3rd, with teammate Dana Lockard in 5th. Another winner in this saga apparently was Ross, who, when the DQs were announced, approached Simonetti and apologized for leading her the wrong way. (Editor's note: Good sportsmanship is alive and well in cross country. We're sure the lessons have been learned... that if you're going to be in the front pack of a race, you're the one who has to know where you're going.) In the boys' race, Joe Dorris went 16:15 for 4th place to lead Upper Dublin to a 19-point win over Central Bucks West, which placed two runners in 2nd (Tyler Jones 15:49) and 3rd (C.J. Davies 16:11). John Izewski of Central Bucks East won in 15:42.

Speaking of perches... be careful Carly. You still have
a few races this season.

10/14 Wyoming Valley Coaches JH Champs @ Valley Elementary 2.0 Miles

RESULTS NEEDED

10/14 WEEK #7 PREVIEW:

Only one PA team will venture into the elite Girls' Eastern States Race on Saturday at the huge MANHATTAN INVITATIONAL. The Carly Seymour-led Central Cambria team will race against several top NE and SE NTN teams, including current US#1 Hilton NY, 2004 NTN champs Saratoga Springs NY, and SE#1 Eleanor Roosevelt MD and SE#2 Episcopal FL. Prior to that big race at 2:38 PM, there will be seven varsity boys' races. Hatboro-Horsham is in "B", North Penn in "C", Conwell-Egan and PA#6 Germantown Friends are in "D", Central Cambria is in "F", and Archbishop Ryan and PA#5 LaSalle are in "G". Unionville's Paul Springer will also race in "G", the last varsity boys race of the day. Following Eastern States, several PA girls teams will compete, including Archbishop Ryan in the Girls' "A", North Penn and Nazareth Academy in "C", and Conwell-Egan, Hatboro-Horsham and Saint Hubert's in "F".

Girls DELCO Preview by Bill Coren: At the DELCO CHAMPIONSHIPS at Rose Tree Park, there will be 21 teams, but one overwhelming favorite -- Radnor, the 2005 champs. 2nd through 7th are toss-ups. Cardinal O'Hara appears to be the favorite for the runner-up Trophy--Challenging will be these teams in most likely this order--Notre Dame, Archbishop Prendergast, Strath Haven, Haverford and Archbishop Carroll. Individuals: Believe it or not, the Radnor girls could finish 1st thru 5th!!!???(Freedman-Milewski (4 2005) - Granger (2006 transfer) - Lally (1 2005) - Holm (2 2005)----Others who could challenge these top 5--Chambers, Chester, (9 2005) - Kane, Notre Dame (3 2005) - Grant, O'Hara (10 2005) - Kelly, O'Hara (5 2005) - Finnerty, Marple Newtown (6 2005) - Boscelli, Carroll -Matticola, Prendergast, Farley, Radnor (12 2005). There are 7 more plaques available and the competition for these will be fierce!!! Among the combatants are (in no particular order)---Agnes Irwin #1 - Carroll #2 #3 - Garnet Valley #1 - Haverford #1 #2 - Notre Dame #2 #3 #4 - O'Hara #3 #4 - Prendergast #2 #3 #4 -Ridley #1 - Springfield #1 - Strath Haven #1 #2 #3 - Upper Darby #1 #2. Plud, great meets at Rocky Grove, State College and William Tennent.

Coatesville's boys were dominant again in the dual meet at Henderson home course.
But the Henderson girls were all over the front of the race the entire way on Wednesday 10/11.

On 10/14 at NCAA D1 Pre-Nationals at Indiana State University,
Villanova junior Frances Koons finished 2nd in the White Race
in the 2nd best time of the day at 20:08.3 for 6K.
At the Drews Inv at the University of WIsconsin-La Crosse,
Wisconsin freshman Craig Miller (Wisconsin/Manheim Township)
ran 4th for the team, taking 9th in 24:41.88.
And at the Slippery Rock Inv, sophomore Jeff Weiss (Slippery Rock/McGuffey) won in 25:52.3.
(Photo by Tim O'Dowd, www.irishrunner.com)