BY BARB KROHN
KUTZTOWN -- The girls races at PTXC 7 were a combination of veteran dominance and -- well -- enter the young.
In the Gold race Cumberland Valley senior Mady Clahane made good on her No. 1 pre-race seeding winning the "hot" race with a national elite time of 18:23.21 that is currently good for second-best in the state. Coatesville sophomore Brooke Hutton came in second (18:27.51).
Clahane wasn't even racing healthy.
"I had a bad cold last week," said Clahane. "I almost didn't come but it's not always about winning. Sometimes it's just to get experience and I wanted my team to do well."
And then there's this, "Once you get in the race it all goes away -- except it was hard to breath."
At the halfway point Clahane was trailing behind Dallas' Ally Rome (4th, 18:41.96) Chambersburg's Abby Yourkavitch (3rd, 18:36.62) and Hutton.
"When we went out I thought it was super fast," said the Cumberland Valley runner who was in her first race this season. "They separated at the mile and I was freaking out but halfway I felt like I was getting closer."
Clahane made her move in the last half mile.
"I was in second until the middle of the hill and got by (Hutton) at the top.
"I could hear people screaming, 'She's on you!' so I just ran as fast as I could."
Clahane's end of the race sprint gave her almost four second over Hutton at the end. And a post-race smile that was impossible to wipe off her face.
Hutton, Youravitch and Rome also recorded national elite times.
Easton won the team competition.
Blue race
Saucon Valley frosh Kiele Riefenstahl won the Blue race going away with a national elite time of 19:20.14. Conestoga sophomore Dominique Shultz who took second also got a national elite designation with her time of 19:34.95.
Though Riefenstah won the recent Red Lion Invitational and as well as taking the top spot in her first high school dual she was not expecting to emerge as the winner on Saturday.
"I surprised myself," she said. "I was so nervous going into it."
As the winner of the middle school PTXC 5 and 6 though the Saucon Valley runner was more than familiar with the course and she knew how she wanted to attack the Kutztown course.
"I just wanted to push it up the hills and take a little recovery at the top."
Running third for part of the race worked for her, "I was drafting behind (the two front runners)."
But by the final hill, "I took the lead and I was feeling pretty good."
The Blue team title was won by the defending PIAA Class A champions Central Cambria. The Red Devils were young in 2014 and have gotten even younger -- and stronger.
"In my varsity race the No. 2 and No. 5 runners were freshmen," said coach Randy Wilson.
Central Cambria's scorers finished fifth, seventh, 11th, 14th and 17th with a 1-5 split of 55 seconds and an average time of 20:33. His sixth and seventh runners came in 20th and 34th.
Wilson said this might be the best team he's ever coached.
"I've had great top fives but I've never had a team that was this deep. I have nine girls that can run under 22."