Unlike the other state champions on the girls' side at the PIAA State Championships, Olivia Sargent didn't win her district meet. It's OK, though. She'll take a state championship over a district title any day.
Six years ago, Sargent watched her sister Sara--now a University of Virginia standout--win a PIAA State Championship in AAA. The younger Sargent now has a medal to match her sister's.
The expectation coming into the AAA girls' race was a rematch up front between Sargent and Downingtown West's Aislinn Devlin. A week ago, Devlin bested Sargent at Lehigh University in the District One championship. Round two was exactly what we got, Saturday at states.
Sargent and Devlin took turns up front. One would accelerate, the other would respond. Unable to break each other, it would all come down to the notorious "Poop-Out Hill" with about 200 meters to go.
"Right as I was getting to the top of [Poop-Out], I just kind of surged again and went ahead of her," Sargent said.
The surge worked and last year's runner-up, Sargent, improved one place to take the win and her first cross country state championship. It's something that's been on her mind since last year.
"As soon as I finished [last year] that was my goal," Sargent said. "I was like 'OK, I'm capable of finishing in the top three, even top one. I can do this.' Coming out here, if I was on and mentally I was all ready, there was nothing that could stop me."
Devlin and Sargent, who roomed together at National Cross Nationals last year, know each other pretty well. The two will likely see each other again with both planning to run Nike Cross Regionals in a few weeks. Stayed tuned for another battle.
Sargent added another state championship to her name in addition to the individual crown--a team title. As Sargent closes out her PIAA XC career, that makes three team championships in four years. The individual crown is just an added bonus.
"It makes it a little extra special when you take the individual crown," Pennsbury assistant coach Ken Cislak said.
"The five girls who are seniors out of the top seven, this was really special to us," Sargent said. "We knew that if we were all on and we worked together, we could accomplish something really special and that's exactly what we did. We went out there with the mindset that it's going to be tough and no one is going to roll over and give it to us, and we have to bring our A game.