Chartiers-Valley sophomore Lilah Turnbull is competing in her first full time cross-country season in 2022. With so much success you would never know. Last season Lilah joined the Chartiers-Valley cross country team the last week of September after running in a local 5k and deciding to reach out to the coach to join the team.
That was a decision that she does not regret. Lilah placed 7th at the WPIAL Finals and 25th at the PIAA Championships her freshmen year, with a successful 2021 campaign. But she had bigger goals to achieve this season. "My goal is to improve each meet and break 19 minutes and our team goal is to return to states and win a team WPIAL title" explained Lilah.
Lilah's 2022 season is off to a great start. She placed 5th at the PIAA Foundation Invitational in the girls AA division. But at the Marty Ulher Invitational and Red, White, and Blue Invitational, Head Coach Lori Poe wanted to challenge the Chartiers-Valley girls and Lilah to compete with the best girls in western Pennsylvania and entered the team into the AAA race despite the school's AA school status.
"There are so many great athletes in all classifications, but we are always looking for ways for our athletes to be challenged and a chance to grow through their racing. That doesn't always happen when you are racing the same individuals each weekend. Running in AAA races gave Lilah a chance to run against a lot of the top runners in the area and the opportunity to face athletes she wouldn't see in section meet competition." said Poe. At the Marty Ulher Invitational, she placed 4th and at the Red, White, and Blue, she finished 9th with a personal best of 19:06. " I do enjoy running in AAA races, because it is better competition and I run with girls who are faster than me which will push me to run faster myself," said Lilah.
Outside of running cross country, Lilah is a member of the 5A 2022 PIAA state runner up Chartiers-Valley girls basketball team and uses cross country to get herself into shape for her upcoming season. "I will be very well-conditioned for my upcoming basketball season and will be able to run up and down the court without getting tired," she said. Coach Poe agrees, "Lilah is a versatile athlete who is able to adapt to a lot of different competitive situations. She is a driven athlete who doesn't give up and works hard at everything she does. Also, she is coachable, willing to learn what she needs to do to perform at her highest potential," said Poe.
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Athlete Profile
Cross Country Personal Record- 19:06 (RWB)
2021 PIAA Cross Country State Qualifier
2021 7th WPIAL Finals & 25th PIAA championships
2021 Big South Invite Champion
2021 3rd place TSTCA Invite
2021 5th place Mingo Classic
2022 4th place Marty Uher Vulcans Invitational (AAA)
2022 9th place Red White and Blue (AAA)
2022 5th PIAA Foundation Invite 2022 WPIAL 400m dash finalist
Q&A with Lilah Turnbull
Would you rather run 3 miles on the track or 3 miles on a cross Country course ?
100% 3 miles on a cross country course , I would probably lose my mind running in a circle again, again and again. I love the variety on the cross-country course.
If you could challenge any athlete to a 5k who would challenge?
Katelyn Tuohy because she is the best!
Which current WPIAL athlete do you enjoy competing against?
Hope Trimmer, she is an amazing runner!
Who is an athlete that you look up too?
Eva Kulbago (Chartiers-Valley Sr) she helps me mentally prepare for each race and is a great leader for our Cross-Country team.
What age were you when you started running competitively?
I was in 7th grade for my first cross country season and then I didn't run 8th grade year.
Do you have a favorite pump-up/hype song?
I don't have a favorite song, but I do have a huge playlist that I listen to before all my games and meets
If you could try a new sport which team would you join?
The Lacrosse Team
