9/26 WKND: State champs win @ Foundation! Hoey PA#1 15:28! Dahl, McMenamin win out of state!

Press Release PennTrackXC.com

PIAA Foundation

Five of the six defending team state champions came to the annual Foundation (aka pre state meet) on Saturday, and all five of them were victorious!

The first of those champions to compete and win were Central Cambria girls in the white race. They were given a good run for their money against Vincentian Academy and race winner Marianne Abdalah. The two time individual state champion won the race in 19:01 and her team had three finishers in the top ten. But Central Cambria's depth came to save the day for the champs, as the number 5 runner scored half the amount of points to Vincentian number 5 scored, which was enough to secure a 65-82 win. Emma Seifried of Country Day School of the Sacred Heart finished 2nd, and Sydney Gilkey of Central Cambria was 3rd.

The next champion to toe the line was the Villa Maria girls in the blue race. They looked mighty once again and showed that if one runner has a rough day, the rest of the team is ready to pick her up. Claire Brown was in the mix up front but struggled late on, but still led a 4-5-6 finish from the front three and five in the top 13 with a state best 19 second spread! They scored 39 points to defeat Abington Heights. A consolation for Abington Heights was having Katie Dammer win her first ever invitational race. Dammer ran 19:35 to win the individual title by 3 seconds over Jordan Williams of Sharon. Mackenzie Jones of Danville was 3rd.

Only the girls gold race did not feature the state champion, as Pennsbury did not compete. But the chase for the individual crown was a taste of PA cross country at its finest. A group of five girls all looking to make a big statement on a big stage battled throughout the course as the heat intensified. Kelsey Potts of Mount Lebanon made her long debut and squared off against Lauren Finikiotis of Oakland Catholic, Katie Bacher of Emmaus, Clara Savchik of North Allegheny, and Annie Glodek of Perkiomen Valley. The pack was inseparable for two miles and then the pack went down the four. Come the final 200 meters, it turned into an all out sprint between Glodek and Savchik, with Glodek sprinting just fast enough to win the gold medal. Both runners ran 18:53. Bacher was 3rd, Potts 4th, and Finikiotis 5th. Glodek's win led her team to the title with a 96-104 win over North Allegheny.

In the boys white race, Class A champions Winchester Thurston had a strong front four, but a 5th runner in the 50s may give their opponents some hope in 6 weeks. But for today, they were the 36 point winners with 101 points and four top 20 finishers from a front 4 that may be too tough to handle. Camp Hill finished 2nd, and Sewickley Academy was 3rd thanks to the 1-2 finish from Griffin Mackey (16:25) and Ben Clouse (16:39).

In the blue race, AA state champions York Suburban appeared in top form, securing victory over Dallas and Grove City with 71 points. The champions had three in the top 10 and four in the top 15. An improvement from the 5th runner would really solidify their chances at a repeat, but their depth up front is too tough at the moment. Individual honors went to Dominic Hockenbury of Lake Lehman, who successfully defended his title with a time of 16:11 in a solo effort. Matt Kravitz of North Pocono was 2nd and Bryce Descavish of Central Cambria was 3rd.

The boys gold race saw AAA state champs North Allegheny put their newly built squad to the test and show the state that their title defense is full of fight. On this day, they passed the test with flying colors, recording a 56 second spread with three in the top ten to score 76 points to better Lasalle's 113. The individual AAA champion Jake Brophy of Central Bucks East also shined brightly in the Hershey sunshine, cruising to the individual crown in 15:53, just missing the 2014 meet record of 15:50. It's his 3rd win this season!


Girls Highlights


Boys Highlights