| 09/25 |
Big South Championship (formerly Big 8)
Ringgold
Meet Summary by Ron McMichael
Ringgold’s McMichael and Smith Repeat as Big South Cross Country Champions Ringgold’s Kirsten McMichael won her 3rd Big South title in a row in a time of 19:43.7, followed by teammate Sarah Lucas (20:30). The one-two punch of the Lady Rams led them to a runner up team finish. Also scoring for the girls team was Amber Mathews, Kaylee Kassa, Maria Lengwin, Johna Gibson and Raina Gorman.
On the Boy’s side Noah Smith repeated as Big South Champion and earned a comfortable 32 second win with a winning time of 16:29.2. Teammate Will Jourdain earned all conference honors by finishing 6th overall in a personal best of 17:33.5. Rounding out the scoring for the Rams were Chris O’Connor, Liam Smith, Timmy Richardson and Logan Kliza.
Boys Highlights
Girls Highlights
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Monongahela, PA RESULTS POSTED |
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09/26 - 09/27 |
Richmond Sports Backers
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Richmond, VA NO PA TEAMS RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Carlisle
(PHOTOS BY MEGAN CLUGH AND DAVID BEYERLE)
Two of PA’s best runners were back to their best on a beautiful, but perhaps slightly warm, September Saturday afternoon at the annual Carlisle Invitational. Zach Brehm of Carlisle was looking to not only defend his meet title on his home course, but the senior wanted to improve on his 4th place 16:13 performance last time out at Spiked Shoe at Penn State. On his final appearance at the Carlisle Invitational, Brehm showed his competitors that he was back and ready to make a big 2nd half run towards bigger things. Brehm pulled away from a tight group to win by a solid 14 second margin, running a PA#3 time of 15:23! It goes down as the best 5000 meter time of his career and is only 12 seconds off the state lead. Very good from a 1600/800 meter state champion!
Zack Seiger of Red Land was the next PA finisher, running 15:40 to finish 4th. Jaxson Hoey of Malvern Prep took this course on without the rest of his top ranked team, running 15:53 to finish 6th. Henry Sappey of Downingtown West (15:56) and Brian Delaney of Manheim Township (15:57) also dipped under the 16 minute mark on the day. The best PA team on the day was a surging York Suburban squad. After coming away victorious at PIAA Foundation last week, the team kept their momentum going, scoring 227 points to finish in 2nd place behind a dominant St Anthony’s (NY) team. However, they did defeat Downingtown West, West Chester Henderson, and Lasalle, all top six finishers. York Suburban had a 51 second spread, with Brady Wilt leading the way with a 20th place finish in 16:08. The other athlete looking to defend their Carlisle championship was Mady Clahane of Cumberland Valley. Last season, Clahane ran a lifetime best 17:28, the best 5000 meter time out of any underclass runner in 2013. Like Brehm, she was also coming off of a tough performance at a previous invitational. Clahane was 2nd at PTXC 6 through the heat and humidity. Was the Carlisle course the perfect remedy to get her season back on track? Of course it was! The junior held off the challenge of Class A state champion Marianne Abdalah of Vincentian Academy and the returning Aislinn Devlin of Downingtown West to repeat as champion with a time of 17:54. Abdalah was 2nd in 18:10 while Devlin finished in the top five for the 2nd year running in 18:57.
A streak that was snapped on this day was the 3 meet invitational winning streak of Cardinal O’Hara. Despite a 50 second 1-5 spread, the Lady Lions had to settle for a narrow runner up finish behind Padua of Delaware, 86-95. Olivia Arizin and Sara Hayes both ran 19:22 to lead the way for the silver medalists. Palmyra finished 3rd with 164 points with the help of a 7th place finish from Kelsey Bixler (19:05). Behind Clahane’s victory, Cumberland Valley finished 4th and Downingtown West rounded out the top five. In the girls Champions race, freshman Brooke Hutton of Coatesville continued her hot streak, earning the biggest victory of her young career with a winning time of 18:59 to make it 3 wins in a row and four top 2 finishes on the season. Kayla White of Kennard-Dale finished in 2nd, ten seconds behind Hutton, and Olivia Gettle of York Suburban finished 3rd in 19:17.
The team title chase was not much of a chase at all. Central Cambria once again were superb and dominant in their latest performance, with the sophomore foursome of Sydney Gilkey (7th in 19:38), Samantha Koss (8th in 19:41), Sydney Croft (9th in 19:43) and Emma Wess (13th in 19:47) leading the way to a 3rd straight victory. Their score of 80 points was 143 points better than 2nd place Upper Dublin. JP McCaskey was 3rd with 239 points.
In the boys Champions race, Daniel Green of James Buchanan had the biggest race of his career, breaking 16 minutes for the very first time en route to the gold medal in 15:55. Kyle Shinn of Wyomissing was 2nd in 16:11, and Ryan Rastatter of Bonner Prendie was 3rd in 16:26. In a close team title race, Manheim Central edged out district rivals Palmyra for the team title 188-201, thanks to two top twenty finishers.
Boys Highlights
Girls Highlights
PREVIEW
Boys Challenge
Jeff Van Kooten of Pittsburgh Central Catholic enters the PUMA Challenge race after a big 15:45 performance at Sharpsville last week. He now has a two meet winning streak and will be the best PA challenger for the University High (WV) combination of Alex Minor and Seth Edwards. Aaron Gebhart of New Oxford has only competed at one competition this season and ran 15:49.7 to win the Blazers Invite down in Maryland. This is his first meet against PA competition. Gebhart ran his personal best 15:37 at this meet last year. Can he match that or better it? Zach Brehm is the defending champion of this meet and will like to defend his home Carlisle turf in his final Carlisle Invite appearance. Brehm was 4th at Spiked Shoe in his last appearance in 16:13. Can he get some momentum going in front of his home crowd? The team chase will be very exciting, not just for the top spot, but there are several head-to-head match ups that may play a big role in how the rest of the season plays out. First, you’ll have the 2nd matchup between State College and Altoona. State College won the first meeting back on the opening weekend. Can Altoona get some revenge or will State College continue to have Altoona’s number? Another matchup to keep an eye on will be between hosts Carlisle and Hempfield (3). Carlisle sits on the PTXC Top Ten list entering the weekend, but Hempfield (3) will enter the competition looking to become the top team in the district. Can Brehm and company keep their hold on the top spot in the district, or will Hempfield (3) become the new team to chase? Lasalle and Pittsburgh Central Catholic will look to make an impact in a big competition, with both teams looking to give their seasons a big boost. Lasalle finished tied for 3rd at the Briarwood Championship race two weeks ago with a new look squad. Pittsburgh Central Catholic were victorious at Sharpsville last week. Boys Champions The individual title hunt will be very close to call on Saturday, as the field does not have a 2014 sub 16 minute runner in it. Daniel Green of James Buchanan has run very close to his 16:06 that he ran here last season (16:09 at Big Spring). Brian Delaney of Manheim Township ran a personal best 16:11 at the same meet and he will be primed to try and get under the 16 minute mark. Holy Ghost Prep will be looking for their first top three finish of the season after a pair of top six finishes in their last two competitions. Palmyra will be looking for a performance that can put them in the mix in the District 3 AA division. Can one of them catch Woodgrove?
Girls Challenge Mady Clahane of Cumberland Valley is back to defend her Carlisle Invitational title. Last season, Clahane won the meet with a time of 17:28, the fastest time of the 2013 season by an underclassmen. Clahane is still seeking her first invitational win of the 2014 season. In her only invite appearance, she finished 2nd at PTXC 6 to Marissa Sheva of Pennridge in very hot and humid conditions. Her competition will be ready to chase her down, including Class A state champion Marianne Abdalah of Vincentian Academy. The sophomore has won back to back invitationals, with her latest victory coming at the PIAA Foundation Invite last week. Maddie Villalba of Central Bucks West is coming off her first cross country invite victory at the Bulldog Invitational at Rose Tree Park two weeks ago. This will be Villalba's opportunity to put herself on the map on the cross country scene. Perhaps the most in form team in the state at the moment is Cardinal O'Hara. O'Hara have won three invitationals in a row, with the team performance improving with each meet. Last week, they won the Gold race at PIAA Foundation with four runners breaking 20 minutes on the state course. With the team also performing with sub 60 second spreads between their top five, a big field like Carlisle may work to their advantage. CB West and Palmyra will look to keep up with the Lady Lions. CB West will look for a big performance to put themselves in the mix for one of the five District 1 qualifying spots. Miranda Salvo's Palmyra, on the other hand, have started the season well as they transition up to the AAA division. They were victorious last time out at their county championship and ran with a 32 second spread that day. Who will come out victorious?
Girls Champions Central Cambria are back after taking a rest weekend after two straight victories. The Red Devils have had their dangerous sophomore top four unleashed on their competition to great effect, winning at PTXC 6 and Forest Hills earlier in the season. Oakland Catholic and Coatesville will be looking for good performances. Oakland Catholic is coming off a 3rd place finish at Altoona, while Coatesville have been inspired by the performances of freshman Brooke Hutton. Hutton has won two invitationals in a row, winning PTXC 6 Blue and her home Steel City Invitational last week. She will look to make it 3 in a row against Syndey Gilkey and Samantha Koss of Central Cambria. Kayla White of Kennard-Dale won the Big Spring Invite a couple of weeks ago with the best performance of her career (19:26). Kate Mowrey of Delone Catholic was also a winner at Big Spring and was in the top ten at Foundation last week.
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Carlisle, PA RESULTS POSTED PHOTO GALLERY
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS |
| 09/27 |
Council Rock North
Casey Comber of Hatboro Horsham held on to his place as the most on form runner in the state, winning his fourth invitational race in a row with another season best performance of 15:44.35. While Comber was rolling to victory at the front of the race, Central Bucks West were earning their 3rd invitational win of the season, defeating Twin Valley by the score of 65-85. Rock Fortna finished 2nd for the Bucks in 16:10, one of three top twelve finishes for the winners. In the girls race, Jerrica Bauer of The George School held off a tough challenge from Great Valley’s Elise Claffey to win her 3rd invitational title of the season with a time of 19:01. Claffey made have had to settle for silver individually, but her team put on their best performance of the season, placing four in the top ten overall to win the team title by nearly 100 points. Girls Highlights
Boys Highlights
PREVIEW
Central Bucks West boys have been one of the up and coming teams of the season, earning two invitational victories entering Saturday's Council Rock Invite. The team has just one senior in their top five, but that five can stay within 30 seconds of one another, which makes them tough to beat. They have a 6 and 7 that can break 17 minutes and help the team out should anyone have an off day. Bensalem and host Council Rock North will look to chase CB West. Both teams have one invitational win under their belt this season.
At the front of the pack, fans may see a 4th consecutive invitational victory for in form Casey Comber of Hatboro Horsham. Wins at PTXC 6, Centaur, and Chris Fretz have seen Comber's time drop to a season best 15:48. Can he make it four wins from four and keep dropping his season best time? Out to upset him will be Brian Arita of Council Rock North, who has a couple runner up finishes this season, and Matthew Scarpill of Central Bucks South, who was 2nd at Rose Tree Park two weeks ago. In the girls race, Great Valley were in the middle of a tight pack of five teams at the PIAA Foundation Gold Race, finishing 6th in that tight finish. Great Valley will march on hoping to take some confidence from last week's performance with their experience varsity squad. Council Rock North and Downingtown East have been looking for a big race to give their seasons a big charge heading into the 2nd half of the season. Council Rock North were 4th last week at George School, but were the top AAA team. Downingtown East were 3rd in their last appearance at the Centaur Invite two weeks ago. Up front, Jerrica Bauer of George School looks to make it 3 wins from 3 appearances. The junior skipped her home invitational last week, but should be set to improve on her 18:36 performance from Mill Street on September 6. Loretta Black of Wissahickon has had a solid season thus far, earning four top five finishes in the first four weekends of the season. Elise Claffey of Great Valley was 4th in last week's Foundation Gold Race, which should give her great confidence heading into Saturday. |
Newtown, PA RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
29th Harrier Invitational
Pottstown
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Pottstown, PA RESULTS POSTED (Middle School) |
| 09/27 |
McQuaid Jesuit
After all the anticipation on what the Conestoga boys team could do when they competed in a big race, they didn’t disappoint. The Central League squad finished an impressive 3rd place in the AAA seeded race with a score of 96 points, trailing only New York and National powerhouses Fayetteville-Manlius (50) and Liverpool (72). Conestoga were led by the individual champion, Andrew Marston, who had to battle all the way to the finish line to win the race with a time of 14:31.3 for 3 miles! Kilian Nelson and PJ Murray also finished in the top 20 for Conestoga. Pennsbury finished 9th in the same race with 228 points, led by Sam Webb’s 8th place finish in 14:58.7. In other boys race, Cathedral Prep finished 12th in the Varsity B Medium race with 319 points, led by a 37th place finish from Kyle Wagner (17:46.6). Northeast Bradford finished 3rd in the Varsity B Small school race with 137 points, with Tyler Devonshire finishing 6th overall (17:55.4) and first for his team. Their varsity seven finished 2nd in the Seeded A race with 134 points, led by a 24th place finish from Garrett Smith in 16:39.9. The team had a 35 second spread between their 1st and 5th runners. Gary Olson of North East finished 8th in the Unseeded A2 race in 16:27 to lead his team to a 4th place finish. Tim Adams of Northern Potter finished 3rd in the Unseeded A3 race in 16:09. Oswayo Valley were the top PA team with a 5th place finish with a score of 225 points. Brendan Knox of Mars Area finished 5th in the Unseeded AA2 race in 16:06, leading his team to the team title with a score of 104 points to win by 5 points. For the girls, General McLane finished 9th in the Seeded AA race with a score of 271 points, led by a 17th place finish by Morgan Price in 19:11. Greater Latrobe finished 14th in the Varsity B race with a score of 441 points, led by a 22:19 performance from Gabby Wirick. Tori Dippold of Elk County Catholic finished 6th in the Seeded A race with a time of 18:21.4. North East finished 2nd in the team title race with 102 points, with Raechel White (9th) and Kate McIntosh (12th) leading the way once again. Emma Washo of Montrose finished 5th in the Unseeded A2 race in 19:02 to lead her team to a 17th place finish. Lydia Werner of Northeast Bradford ran 19:32 to finish 4th in the Unseeded A3 race. Her and Karli Moyer’s top ten finishes led their team to a 3rd place team finish with a score of 143 points. Mars Area finished 2nd in the Unseeded AA2 race with a score of 161 points, led by a 22nd place finish from Sydney Cole in 19:52.5. Boys Highlights (3 Mile)
PREVIEW
Conestoga boys will be sending their best 10 to the seeded AAA large school race on Saturday. This will be their first invitational race over 2 miles this season. Andrew Marsten will be leading the way for the state title contenders. They will face the likes of Fayetteville-Manlius and Pennsbury in what will be a huge test for the Central League leaders. This will also be Pennsbury's first invitational longer than 2 miles this season. Sam Webb will lead the way for the Falcons. With no clear cut favorite in AAA, one of these two teams can make a big statement Saturday at their district rivals' expense. Northeast Bradford will be led by Levi Upham in the boys Seeded A race, as they look to move up the Class A charts. Elk County Catholic girls will run in the Seeded A varsity race, with Tori Dippold making her first invitational appearance since her opening weekend win at McDowell. North East will be waiting, where Kate McIntosh and Raechel White will look to finish in the top ten of an invitational for the 5th straight weekend. |
Rochester, NY RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
6th Annual Crimson Hawk Invitational
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Bo Dinger of Punxsutawney ran 17:48 to win the individual title and lead his team to the team crown over Derry 39-67, thanks to two finishers in the top three and three in the top seven overall. For the girls, Indiana edged out United 45-59, despite United having the individual winner. Michaela Bracken ran 21:28.4 to edge out Kacey Raible of Indiana by under a second.
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Indiana, PA RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
A.J. Everhart Invitational
Uniontown Area
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Uniontown, PA |
| 09/27 |
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Wappingers Falls, NY NO PA TEAMS RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Pacers Events
After having to settle for bronze and silver medal finishes in his past two invitational races, Kevin James of Cardinal O’Hara not only won his first invitational race of the season, but he soared to the top of the state list! James won the boys senior race with a state leading time of 15:11 to win by 6 seconds. It is the fastest victory of his career and it is also his fastest since running 15:14 at Great American last October. Other O’Hara finishers include Rob Morro’s 6th place finish in the junior race in 16:28. Ryan James ran 16:43 to finish 3rd in the sophomore race. Dan Curran finished 6th in the freshman race in 18:19. PREVIEW Cardinal O'Hara boys will compete in a special class 5k invitational down in the Washington DC area on Saturday. O'Hara have earned two runner up finishes in back to back weeks, and will look to get that long awaited first win under their belts before the business part of the season arrives. Kevin James has been impressive in the past two weeks, running 15:51 and 15:54 to earn 3rd and 2nd place finishes. |
Washington, DC RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Hilliard Bradley
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Hilliard, OH NO PA TEAMS RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Northeast Invitational
Bloomsburg University
Class A boys state champion Griffin Molino of South Williamsport did an encore of his Spiked Shoe performance from September 13 to win his 2nd invite of the season. Molino ran 15:43 for the 2nd time this season, but this time he won by almost 40 seconds. The team title race was just as one sided as the individual title race, as Mount Carmel Area placed three in the top ten overall to defeat Lewisburg 62-100. For the girls, Mackenzie Jones of Danville ran 19:06 to win the girls race by nearly 30 seconds over Jenna Farmer of Lewisburg. Farmer’s team did get the last laugh in the team race, scoring 46 points with five finishers in the top 20 to defeat Danville by 20 points. Boys Highlights
Girls Highlights
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Bloomsburg, PA RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Ocean State XC Invitational
Archbishop Wood girls finished 13th in the championship race with 315 points, led by Natalie Cornely’s 55th place finish in 21:01. The Archbishop Wood boys finished 11th in the championship race with 213 points, led by a 24th place finish from Andrew Flinn in 17:20. (PHOTO BY STEVE MAZZONE)
PREVIEW
Archbishop Wood will make their annual trip to Rhode Island on Saturday, where the girls have finished in the top three for each of the past two trips, including a win in 2012. The Wood girls finished 2nd at George School last week behind Friends Central, while the boys were 4th in the same meet.
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Warwick, RI RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Penncrest XC Invitational
Penncrest
Jonathan Perlman of Lower Merion ran 16:51 to hold off Liam Galligan of Springfield Delco by 8 seconds for the individual gold. Perlman’s performance also led his squad to a team title victory over hosts Penncrest 30-51. For the girls, Alexis Malmberg of Episcopal Academy ran 20:31 to win the gold medal and lead her team to a team title win over Penncrest 26-41, with all five finishers inside the top 10 overall.
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Media, PA RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Colts Neck HS
Upper Darby boys finished 8th in the varsity A race with a score of 227 points, led by a 27th place finish from Kevin Hong in 17:47. Phoenixville finished 9th in the varsity C race with a score of 234 points thanks to a 14th place finish from Sean McGinnis (17:19). Kane Area finished 7th in the varsity E race with 220 points, with Hunter Yasurek leading the way with a 22nd place finish in 18:19. (PHOTO BY MAE KELLERT)
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Jackson, NJ RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Colts Neck HS
North Penn were looking to make it back to back Six Flags Varsity A race titles, but despite having four finishers in the top 20, the sky blues had to settle for 2nd place to Sachem East 54-84. Phoebe Clowser led the way for North Penn with a 9th place finish in 19:52. Ali Valenti was 11th in 20:03. Hatboro Horsham finished 4th with 117 points in the Varsity B race, with Alyssa Quinn finishing 11th with a time of 20:54. Phoenixville finished 9th in the varsity C race with 245 points. Fiona Halloran finished 21st for Phoenixville with a time of 21:26. Agnes Irwin finished 5th in the Varsity E race with 141 points, led by a 6th place finish from Jessica Crowley in 20:15. Girls Highlights
PREVIEW
North Penn girls return to Six Flags Great Adventure to defend their team title from last season's A race. The District 1 power house are coming off a win at Steel City last week after battling with rivals Central Bucks East in two invites, splitting the series. Phoebe Clowser and Ali Valenti have been leading the way for North Penn. Valenti was in the top ten at this meet last season. |
Jackson, NJ RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Bull Run Invitational
Hereford High School
Strath Haven traveled out of state to seek out more success to their already strong start to the season. Led by a 6th place finish from Maia Mesyngier in 20:08, the Lady Panthers finished 2nd in the team title chase with 124 points, trailing Walter Johnson by 31. Claire Wolters (20:26) and Isabel Cardi (20:35) finished in the top 15 overall.
PREVIEW
Strath Haven girls will return to the Bull Run Invitational after a one year absence. The Lady Panthers were 4th at last week's PIAA Foundation Gold race, but have two invitational victories from the early weeks of the season. Maia Mesyingier will lead the way for Strath Haven.
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Parkton, MD RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/28 |
Hilliard Bradley
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Hilliard, OH |
| 09/30 |
District 7 Section 4 AAA Championship
Kiski Area
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Pittsburgh, PA |
COLLEGE
| 09/25 |
Main Line Invitational
Haverford College
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Haverford, PA RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Lock Haven XC Open Invite
Lock Haven University
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Lock Haven, PA RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/27 |
Messiah Invitational
Messiah College
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Grantham, PA |
| 09/27 |
Philadelphia Metropolitan Cross Country Championships
Philadelphia University
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Philadelphia, PA RESULTS POSTED |