A pair of Pennsylvania state champions went across state lines to New Jersey on Saturday night and dropped some historically fast 5Ks on the track. In Edison, NJ, both Dylan Throop and Jenna Mulhern moved into the top five all-time in Pennsylvania state history at the Garden State Track Club Showcase.
In the boys' race Throop, from General McLane, won going 14:44.99 in what turned into a mostly solo effort for the Penn-bound senior. Throop is the defending PIAA Class AA XC state champion. That time is good enough for No. 4 all-time in PA history, trailing only Noah Affolder (14:18.26 in 2017), Zach Kinne (14:38.43 in 2019), and Dalton Hengst (14:44.58 in 2018).
Mulhern, of West Chester Henderson, placed second in the girls' race. The junior, who won the PIAA Class AAA XC state title as a freshman, ran 16:40.46 to take second to Charlotte Bednar from the Lawrenceville School (NJ). Bednar went 16:25 for the win. Mulhern's time puts her at No. 5 on the all-time state list for the track 5K. Lydia Russell (16:18 in 2019) tops that list, followed by Emily Carter (16:32 in 2019), Madeleine Davison (16:34 in 2016), and Marlee Starliper (16:39 in 2018).
Throop and Mulhern weren't the only PA runners dropping quick times on Saturday night.
In the boys' race, Downingtown West's Aiden Barnhill and Declan Rymer were impressive. Barnhill went 15:03.99 for third and Rymer clocked a time of 15:09.40 for fourth. Liberty's Cole Frank was 14th overall in 15:38.50. Henderson's Jack Davidson (15:46) and Gavin Brophy (15:53) also broke 16 minutes.
In the girls' race, the West Chester Henderson girls showed off their strong depth after Mulhern. Three other Henderson girls dipped under 19 minutes. Liesl Scherrer went 18:08 for ninth overall. Weronica Ziemniak ran 18:20 for 11th and Amanda Kelly ran 18:44 for 18th. Downingtown West's Carolyn Tarpley was 12th in 18:25 and Liberty's Emily Jobes was 20th in 18:47.