Most cross country teams are made up of athletes who began their athletic careers in other sports. But the Lewisburg girls definitely have those "other sports" very well covered.
There's the former soccer player, of course. That's a given. There's usually a reformed field hockey player. The team has one of those, as well. Then there are a few ex-hoopsters. One even used cross country to get in shape for the hardwood, and never went back. There's an ex-swimmer. Again, cross country was the key to getting in shape for the pool. Then it was so-long pool.
And then there are two whose parents ran cross country.
But despite the various athletic routes they took to reach the sport, each girl on this season's varsity now has one thing in common. They're runners first, and foremost.
It's their mission, and their passion. And they'd like nothing more to make this the season that they believe 2007 could have been – state champions.
Things happen in sports that change outcomes.
At the first pre-states meet (Hershey Inaugural) in September, 2007, Lewisburg finished only 13 points behind eventual AA state champion Central Cambria. Then-junior Sophia Ziemian (Left at Nike Outdoor Nationals) had run stride-for-stride with classmate Kiah Hardcastle (Below right at Nike Outdoor Nationals) at the race, when the girls had finished 4th and 3rd, respectively. And they were ahead of a lot of quality runners, including Nazarath Academy's Meghan Lutz.
In the midst of training, optimism was obvious from the Lewisburg camp following that race.
But Ziemian would be lost for the season with a stress fracture. That took a little wind out of the team's sails, and they would finish 3rd at the state championships despite big races from the rest of her teammates.
Ziemian recovered, and the team moved onto outdoor.
They had a mission. That drive would carry them to a second place in AA at the PIAA State T&F Championships in the end of May. And they would finish ahead of Central Cambria in the team competition, and with the help of then-sophomore Kalyn Fisher on anchor; a runner they'd dearly love to lure from soccer; they would win the 4x800 over Central Cambria on the final lap.
Individually, Sophia Ziemian and Kiah Hardcastle would both medal in the AA 3200, taking 5th and 8th, respectively.
But despite the individual and team success, the top two returners from the 2007 cross country team weren't entirely satisfied with their seasons. Their times had been good, but not good enough.
So they set their sights on Nike Outdoor Nationals and the 5000 meter run.
"I felt like I had run the same time all season" said Hardcastle. "I did not want to end on that note."
Ziemian had been out of town prior to NON, and didn't have huge expectations going into the race.
But the teammates and friends stuck together for as long as possible during the race, and used the great competition to their advantage. Ziemian says she "got lucky" in the race. But luck had nothing to do with her 17:34.98 4th place all-American finish. And Hardcastle was not far behind, finishing 9th in a stellar 18:00.10.
While both were pleased with their performances in North Carolina; and felt it helped to end their seasons on a positive note; their celebrations were short-lived. "The good feeling only lasted a few days," said Hardcastle. "Then it was time to train again." And fellow XC captain Ziemian echoed that, saying while she was pleased, "it just got me really excited about this cross country season."
Those 5K times left their cross country coach Mark Sundberg literally searching for words to describe the races. He wasn't in attendance (he's the boys' outdoor coach), but he was able to watch it online. "I was speechless," Sundberg said. "I was amazed."
Leading by example.
Amazed or not, Sundberg knew that the times by his co-captains potentially spelled good things for this year's cross country team.
Now entering his 21st season as head coach in cross country, he has seen quite a few good runners come through his program. Referring to Ziemian and Harcastle, Sundberg said, "Anybody in the state would feel lucky to have them on their team, even if they weren't such great runners, because they're such great kids."
Sundberg says he puts a higher value on work ethic than anything else. "That's what I feel about all our kids.... but when you have two kids that have that mix together, it's special."
Sundberg says that Hardcastle and Ziemian lead by example. "Rarely do you see them step up and take charge of practice and say we're doing it this way. Kiah's the more vocal of the two. Sophia is reserved, but makes her presence felt in other ways."
Setting the tone with fun.
One of the things Sundberg tries to do is to create a sense of family.
Hardcastle echoes her coach's philosophy. "Attitude is essential. You can't run a 5K if you have any negative thoughts. So keeping a good attitude, keeping everyone healthy, and loving the sport, is important."
Both Sundberg and Ziemian agree that Hardcastle is the one who keeps things light. In 2007, Hardcastle designed a run around a scavenger hunt. And while she says it wasn't planned, they've had their share of water balloon fights. "Some things I orchestrate. Some things just happen."
Ziemian welcomes Hardcastle's approach, but says they both let everyone on the team know – by example, of course – that when race day comes, "we don't joke around."
Setting the tone with communication.
Distance runners are among the top students in school. Maybe it's their goal-oriented, discipline-demanding, long-term view of the sport that makes them that way. But that also means they can be good students of the sport, and at Lewisburg, Coach Sundberg treats them that way, by involving them in their own training.
"I want them to know why we do every workout. And if they don't, I want them to ask me. And they do. I tell them what we're trying to accomplish; whether it's oxygen delivery, or lactate threshold. I tell what they're going to do at practice, and what they can expect to get out of it, and when they're going to get the biggest benefit from it. So when it comes to race day, they know they have already done what they have to do to prepare."
Hardcastle seems to have picked up on Sundberg's approach, and takes the invitation for dialogue seriously. "I always let him know what I'm thinking and how I'm feeling. I can understand that with a coach how that might get annoying, but he always listens to me. And it's not just like passive listening. He listens and he does something."
Co-captain Ziemian agrees. "He sets the tone for our team. He's really dedicated to it. We always know what we're doing, and what's going to help us. We always know that when the race comes, we're probably the most prepared team."
The 2008 Varsity.
Co-captains Kiah Hardcastle (left) and Sophia Ziamian (right) are both seniors. Hardcastle used to be a basketball player, and came out for cross as a 7th grader on a friend's suggestion. She says she wasn't that good. "But I liked it a lot, and I trained really hard before 8th grade and I kept improving... and once you improve, you just want to stick with it."
Ziemian was also a basketball player who used running for getting in shape to sprint up and down the hardwood. Her parents had run at Cornell, so running was familiar. Similarly to her co-captain, she wasn't confident at the beginning. "I thought I'd be the worst person ever to run." But she steadily improved, and when her competitive nature started to kick in, she was hooked.
There are three juniors and three sophomores in the projected top eight. All the sophs ran varsity much of the 2007 season.
Shannon Wright (left) was the top frosh last year, running 4th on the team at pre-states, and third on the team at States. Her father had been a cross country runner at Montgomery HS (AA). Heading into 7th grade, she signed up for middle school XC. "I was really, really slow, but I liked it anyway." She also played middle school soccer in the spring of 7th grade; didn't play much, and didn't find the 'cliquey' nature of the team to her liking. So she trained more before 8th grade, got a lot better, and bid high school soccer farewell. Wright especially likes her coach's saying... "In cross country, the slower people just get more playing time."
Fellow soph Mary Challman (right) said she came out for XC because "Shannon (Wright) told me I should do it." Her parents both ran, and supported it, even though her dad coached her in soccer at the time. "After my first season in 8th grade, I loved it." She played soccer later that year, but that only made her realize how much she liked cross country. Challman most likes the personal rewards of achieving milestones in the sport. "It's better than any other sport would make you feel."
Sophomore Kirsten Winner (left) didn't start cross until last year. "I did it instead of soccer, and I just loved it."
Junior Marina Ziemian (right) contributed to the varsity in 2007. Definitely more vocal than her older sister, she admits that she started running because Sophia was doing it. "I just kinda follow her everywhere," she said, half jokingly. A "pretty good" soccer and basketball player in middle school, Marina didn't like the ways the more organized sports worked. "I was more into a relaxed environment." She is coming back from jaw surgery this summer, and should contribute all season.
Junior Sara Hiller (left) says she was convinced she was destined to be a "field hockey superstar" in the 6th grade. 
But by 7th grade, she realized it was not her destiny. Her brother did cross country after he didn't make the soccer team, and that led both she and her dad into the sport. Her dad is now running marathons.
Junior Emily Knight (right) is a swimmer-turned-runner. And we're not talking your average swimmer. "I had been swimming since I was 10 or 11 and I was competitive at a very high level." She joined the cross country team in 9th grade to stay in shape for the pool. As it turns out, Knight says this team is the best she has been on. "There's just no time for drama. When you do this, the people around you become your best friends." She admits she didn't train like she should prior to her first two seasons. "I've stopped swimming, and I actually trained this summer." She has good friends on another top PA team. She was born in Emmaus, and her parents lived there for 15 years. Her mom and dad met through running, and both have run marathons. "My mom was really good. And my dad ran for Bucknell, so I've always been around the sport.
Training intently to individual levels – aiming for States.
For the past 12 seasons, Sundberg has been a proponent of the Paavo Training system developed by Marshall Sellers. It's relatively high mileage when compared to most high school programs, and, Sundberg readily admits, "very intense."
But he says that its advantage is its structure and progressive nature, allowing individual athletes to move up in training levels when ready. And, he thinks that putting the responsibility on the athlete for their own times is part of what makes it so successful. "Even when we get into our interval and repeat work, they are still responsible for their times. I record all of that so they can see their progression."
While they do some track, interval work is usually 400 repeats on grass, along with 1000's. Athletes have ranges to hit on a run, with boys aiming for 7 ppm for 6, 8, even 10 miles, and girls at an 8 ppm. While many teams go through the occasional stress fracture, Sundberg says he'll be more conservative this season, than last.
Again, communication is key, and he is continually talking with athletes to make sure they are listening to their bodies and sharing any potential problems before they become injuries.
You will find Lewisburg racing invitationals in September, and then backing off the invites during October to return to training, in preparation for the championship part of the season. "Summer is the base for September, and September is the base for championships," says Sundberg.
Simply put, Sundberg says "there are workouts needed in October for speed and oxygen delivery, and racing does not fit."
2008 tentative schedule:
8/30 Big Valley
9/6 off
9/13 Spiked Shoe
9/20 Hershey Pre-States
9/27 Northeast (District course)
This year, Lewisburg's best will be enough.
Hardcastle says they have a clearer focus this year, than last. "We were thinking about NTN, but after everything changed, we learned not to look so far ahead, and to just worry about what's coming up."
Ziemian agrees with her fellow co-captain. "This is August, and states is in November. If we take it one race at a time and win states, that's great. If not, and it's still our best, it has to be enough."
Teams that achieve that perspective are usually more focused. And focus is how teams – like Lewisburg – finish their unfinished business.
PREVIEW: AA Girls – Central Cambria could repeat. Lewisburg has improved. Zarger's turn?