SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA -- Pennsylvania brought just two qualifiers to the Eastbay Cross Country Championships on Saturday, but both walked away with top ten finishes in what was a day to remember for a pair of Pennsylvania stars.
Jenna Mulhern placed third in 17:20, while Mia Cochran came across eighth in 17:35, both earning All-American honors on a cool and sunny day at Balboa Park in San Diego.
Mulhern battled up near the front, methodically moving up the field into a good spot. The West Chester Henderson senior who has been competing unattached this season, got up to third place just after the two mile mark. Along with New Jersey's Angelina Perez, the Northeast regional champion, she closed the gap on leader Natalie Cook of Texas. That gap was almost nothing with a little under a half mile to go.
But Cook, who won the RunningLane Championships last week in runaway fashion, found an extra gear in the closing stretch and held on for the win in 17:15. Perez wound up second in 17:19 and Mulhern was right behind her for third.
For Cochran, it was all about consistency on Saturday. The Moon Area senior stayed in the top ten for virtually the entire race, before earning an eighth place finish, which matched her regional place. She wasn't thrilled that Eastbay Northeast regional race two weeks ago in Van Cortlandt, but Cochran rebounded in a big way to run her best race of the season on the biggest stage. It caps off a great season for Cochran, who won her third straight PIAA Class AAA XC state title in early November.
What an end to a pair of terrific high school careers for Mulhern and Cochran. Check out post-race interviews with both girls below.