COVERAGE COMPLETE FOR PTXC-3 - click here
RW&B Coverage including Phil Grove photo gallery
| 09/07 |
Freeport Invitational
Freeport Area
Photos by Phillip Grove
Senior Emilee Hertweck and Junior Alex Cetnar, both of Knoch, won their respective races. Herewick ran 20:00 (she was a state qualifier in 2010), and Cetnar went 17:37.
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Sarver, PA RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/08 |
Wyalusing Valley Lasagna Invitational
Wyalusing Valley Area
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Wyalusing, PA POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 27TH
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| 09/10 |
21st Big Red Invitational
West Middlesex
Austin Pondel of Corry cracked the 16 minute barrier, running 15:58.3 to win the varsity red race over runner up Ryan Smathers of North East (16:11.9). Smathers now has two top five finishes already this season. Smathers team did cruise to the team title with a score of 42 points, winning by over 60 points. In the white race, Trey Powell of West Middlesex ran 17:13.6 to win the individual title by 14 seconds. His team had three in the top ten to win the team title with 47 points, over 60 points better than 2nd place.
In the girls red race, Samantha Owens of Corry completed the individual title sweep for her school, winning the race with a time of 20:30.5, 16 seconds better than Anne Lewis of North East. Like their boys team, the North East girls came away with the team title with 79 points, 18 points better than 2nd place Cambridge Springs. For the white race, McKenna Spencer of Cranberry ran the best time of the day for the girls with her winning time of 20:10.5. Sharpsville placed three in the top eight led by a 2nd place finish from Dani Cerroni to win the team title with 49 points. |
West Middlesex, PA RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
32nd Annual Centaur Invitational
DeSales University
This year's edition of the Centaur Invitational was altered a little bit and the competitors ran a different route. Despite the hilly wood and cornfield loops being taken out, and 1000 meter uphill start was put in and most of the college course was used.
The changes did not effect Pennridge senior Tori Gerlach. After a 2nd place finish in her debut last week, she returned to the winners circle this week with a time of 19:11, 24 seconds better than Paige Stoner of Pottsville. PA#4 Downingtown East had a very impressive debut race, scoring 49 points with four in the top ten led by a 4th place finish from Katelyn Callaghan. PA#6 Boyertown was 3rd behind runner up Northwestern Lehigh. For the boys, Sam Hibbs (16:32) and Conner Quinn (16:33.8) of Hatboro Horsham showed how tough they are to beat as a duo with their close 1-2 finish. Holy Ghost Prep beat out Archbishop Wood for the team title, outscoring them 75-100. A 4th place finish from Ryan Horgan led the way for Holy Ghost Prep. |
Center Valley, PA RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
43rd Annual Mill Street Run
Holy Ghost Preparatory School
Council Rock North girls got a 1-3 finish from champion Kate Scott (17:44 for 3 miles) and Kodyn Meinicke (17:53) to beat out rivals Council Rock South 40-51. Kathleen Stewart of Council Rock South finished 2nd to prevent a 1-2 finish for CR North.
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Bristol, PA GIRLS RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
9th Annual Red, White & Blue Classic
Baldwin
Photos and Meet Story by Phil Grove - PHOTO GALLERY
By Phil Grove There was a decided changing of the guard at the ninth annual Red, White & Blue Invitational, with Grove City's Daniel Jaskowak and Oakland Catholic's Charlotte Lampenfeld providing the individual highlights and PA#5 Mount Lebanon and Morgantown (W.Va.) taking team honors. Jaskowak went to the front early on the Schenley Park course en route to a convincing victory in 15 minutes, 24 seconds. The junior became the first non-WPIAL runner to win the boys' competition at the Red, White & Blue.
Grove City coach Mike Sample said Jaskowak logged plenty of miles this summer in preparation for stepping out of the long shadows of former teammate Jake Kildoo, who is now running for Notre Dame after a standout prep career. "Dan's a junior and he's just coming into his own," Sample said. "He really put a lot of time in this summer dedicating himself to running. He set some goals for himself, and I think they're achievable. I'm not going to say he ever ran in the shadow of Jake because he was always his own runner." Although Jaskowak's victory might have been a surprise to some, the team triumph by Mount Lebanon was the Blue Devils' second dominant showing this season. On the heels of a perfect 15 points to win the California University Invitational on Sept. 3, the Blue Devils used senior Alex Moran's runner-up finish to lead the 58-team field with 83 points. North Allegheny, the top-ranked team in the state, finished second with 99. "I'm excited because we really haven't done a lot of heavy repeat work," said Mount Lebanon coach Mike Agostinella. "We're just getting started as far as repeats. The kids looked strong, we look like we have pretty good depth. "It is so difficult to have your pack be as strong when you have a guy like Alex up there banging away in the 15s. It's hard to make sure everything else happens well too." North Allegheny's runner-up finish was just its second at Red, White & Blue. The Tigers racked up five championships and a pair of thirds in the other years. "(This meet) shows you where you fit in amongst all the other teams," North Allegheny coach John Neff said. "It tells you where your kids are in the pecking order on your own team, too. You can do time trials and scrimmages and stuff but until you see how they compete in a big meet like this you don't really know who your best seven are. After today I have a pretty good sense of that." PA#8 (Small School PA#1) Quaker Valley was third in the combined standings with 148 points, while Grove City used Jaskowak's victory to finish fourth with 251 and Cathedral Prep was fifth with 283. Baldwin's Andrew Kuchta was third in 15:31, and Quaker Valley's L.J. Westwood and North Allegheny's Logan Steiner were fourth and fifth in 15:50.  On the girls side, the 5,000-meter varsity race was intriguing as much for who won as who didn't. Oakland Catholic's Lampenfeld (18:27) outkicked Bethel Park's Hillary Boxheimer (18:30) after the duo ran in tandem for the final kilometer."This was perfect running weather," the winner said. "I love this race and I've done well here since I was a freshman. I really just wanted to finish it off, my last Red, White & Blue." Norwin's Autumn Greba stormed home third in 18:52, six seconds ahead of a struggling Margo Malone of North Hills. Malone, last year's RW&B winner, collapsed immediately after crossing the line and received medical attention before getting back on her feet. Younger sister Shannon, who was second a year ago, did not finish the race, collapsing near the two-mile mark and receiving aid from paramedics before walking off the course with her mother. Sophomore Mary Malone was 22nd after finishing 10th in 2010. "It's the first meet of the season, everybody has the jitters and is nervous," North Hills coach Doug Sundo said of his standouts' troubles at Schenley Park. "We get it out of our system and we work toward the end of the season. That's what our goal is, the end of the season, not right now." The girls team race also made history as Morgantown became the first out-of-state winner in their second trip to the invitational. Junior Brynn Harshbarger led the Mohigans in ninth at 19:12, while freshman Victoria Cooke was two spots back in 19:23. "I was all over the Penn TrackXC Web site this week looking at results, trying to see the competition up here," said Morgantown coach Mike Ryan. "We came up last year, and I knew it was going to be a great meet. We are in a battle for 1 and 2 in our state, and this is a great opportunity for us to come and race against, instead of 1 or 2 great teams, a whole bunch of 'em. We definitly looked forward to this meet. Anytime we get a chance to come out of state and run well, we get excited." In winning with 114 points, Morgantown had just 75 seconds separating their first and fifth runners. Mount Lebabon was second in the combined standings with 129, followed by Quaker Valley at 195 and Hempfield Area at 211. North Hills was fifth with 220. Ryan said he used a powerpoint presentation of pictures of the entire course to prepare his team. "We knew it was going to go out fast - the first mile on this course is crazy - and then the girls knew they had to run really hard and really tough coming back," he said. "I kept telling them you can make a little move in this race and get big results from it. And that's what a lot of our girls did."
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Pittsburgh, PA RESULTS POSTED
PHOTOS
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| 09/10 |
 Abington Invitational
Abington
Strath Haven's Hannah Grossman made her 2011 debut and came away with a solid victory. Her time of 18:51 was 13 seconds better than Methacton's Kara Steinke, who won the John Sharp meet last week. Grossman's experience showed in this race, as she was the only senior to finish in the top fifteen. PA#7 Haveford Township began their quest toward state qualification, placing four in the top eighteen with Sophia Meehan leading the way (3rd) to score 69 points and win the team title by 21. Great Valley was 2nd with 90 points. In the boys race, Jeff Seelaus of Strath Haven completed the individual title sweep for his school, winning the boys race with a time of 16:44, six seconds better than Mac Emrey of Council Rock North. The Haverford Township boys completed the team title sweep, scoring 75 points to win by 29 over West Chester East.
ABINGTON INVITATIONAL GIRLS PREVIEW by Bill Coren (Strath Haven)
Although many of the TOP girls teams and individuals will be at the PTX3 meet at Kutztown, 22 girls teams will run at the Abington Invitational. 3 teams will get trophies in the Varsity race. Haverford(2nd 2010) and Great Valley(3rd 2010) just scrimmaged each other(?27-28 Haverford--Haverford was missing #2 and #4??) and both have a great chance at bringing home the #1 prize!? The 3rd place trophy will likely be won by Mount St Josephs who ran well last weekend at Sharp. Methacton and Strath Haven may be in the hunt for 3rd!? As for the individual first place trophy, these two girls will likely battle it out---Steinke(Methacton-2nd 2010 and easy winner in 18:13 at Sharp this year)-Grossman(Strath Haven-3rd 2010 and 3rd in States last year). Other girls who will be up there and may challenge the TOP 2 are--S.Meehan(Haverford-8th 2010)-T.Meehan(Haverford-5th 2010)-Holl(Upper Dublin-9th 2010)-and Chang(Penncrest-12th 2010-2nd at Sharp breaking 19:00). |
Abington, PA RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
Albright Invitational
Albright College
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Reading, PA COLLEGIATE RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/10 |
Central Bucks East Invitational
Central Bucks East
Dan Davis and Jack Macauley of North Penn both ran 16:55 to finish 1-2 over Central Bucks East's 1-2. North Penn finished with three in the top five to score 35 points and defeat the host school Central Bucks East by 29. For the girls, Meghan McGovern won the race for the 2nd year in a row, this time with a lot more comfort. Her time of 18:59 was 1:17 better than 2nd place! The Central Bucks East top five put on an impressive performance, going 4-5-6-7-8 with a spread of 23 seconds led by Louise Hukki to win the team title with 30 points.
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Doylestown, PA RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
Chestnut Hill Academy-Springside Invitational
Chestnut Hill Academy
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Philadelphia, PA
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| 09/10 |
East Palestine Rotary Invitational
East Palestine
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East Palestine, OH RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
FAAP Fall Classic 5K Run/Walk
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Pittsburgh, PA
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| 09/10 |
Forest Hills Cross Country Invitational
Forest Hills
Central Cambria won their 2nd consecutive invitational, placing four in the top 18 led by a 6th place finish from Alyssa Brandis. Their score of 81 points was 35 points better than 2nd place Bradford Area. Adair Gennocro of Saint Mary's Area won her 2nd straight invitational of the season, running 18:44, 40 seconds better than Bear Mountain Invitational winner Maria Snyder of Northern Bedford. For the boys, Aziz Yousif of Bradford Area ran 17 minutes even to win the individual title. In the team race, Somerset Area beat out Indiana Area by 12 points, 125-137, thanks in part to having a better 5th runner despite Indiana Area having four in the top 27.
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Sidman, PA RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
 Gettysburg Cannon Clash Invitational - HS
Gettysburg Area High School
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Gettysburg, PA POSTPONED UNTIL OCTOBER 8TH
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| 09/10 |
Gettysburg Cannon Clash Invitational - MS
Gettysburg Area High School
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Gettysburg, PA POSTPONED UNTIL OCTOBER 8th
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| 09/10 |
Gwynedd Mercy College Invitational
Gwynedd-Mercy College
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Gwynedd Valley, PA COLLEGIATE |
| 09/10 |
Hurricane Invitational
Schuylkill Haven Area
Amber Carroll (22:13) and Kelsey Patrick (22:27) of Tamaqua finished 1st and 2nd to lead their team to a narrow team title win over Jim Thorpe 35-44. Jim Thorpe did bring a team title home with them, as their boys earned a victory over North Schuylkill 43-61. Hamburg's Nick Sturm ran 18:31 to win the individual title.
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Schuylkill Haven, PA RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
 Lake Forest Cross Country Festival
Lake Forest High School
Garnet Valley boys traveled to Delaware and finished 7th in the varsity A race. Garnet Valley was led by a 5th place finish from Brian O'Donnell (17:31).
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Felton, DE RESULTS POSTED |
| 09/10 |
Lebanon Valley Invitational
Annville-Cleona
Annville-Cleons boys held off Central Dauphin 46-49 to win the boys team title. Annville-Cleona were led by a gold medal finish from Mark Bachman (17:03.6) and also had two other runners in the top four. For the girls, Central York placed all seven scoring runners in the top ten with a 1-5 spread of 51 seconds to score 21 points and cruise to the team title. Megan Lundy led the way, winning the race in a time of 21:34.2.
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East Hanover, PA RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
Meteor Invitational
Montrose
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Montrose, PA POSTPONED UNTIL OCTOBER 15TH
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| 09/10 |
 PTXC 3 - Presented by Puma
All photos by Patty Morgan, Charles Stone and Don Rich
Race Video: Girls Varsity A (Gold)
Cat & Mouse In the most anticipated race of the day, Homer Center senior Angel Piccirillo (quick post-race comments) - (full post-race interview) proved why she's just so dangerous -- and potentially why she's the best runner in the state. At 1K, Piccirillo was lurking about 10 meters behind the leaders
The reigning PIAA Class AA cross country champion and 2010 Foot Locker Finalist trailed three others nearly a mile and half into action, but turned a switch late and blew away the competition, finishing in 18 minutes, 39 seconds to take her first PTXC Varsity A girls title at the Kutztown University Farm Course.
At just past 2k, Seykora was committed to a major move. In somewhat of a minor stunner, 2010 PIAA AAA state runner-up West Chester Henderson built off a record-breaking spring track campaign with an important showing early in the cross country season. The team won the team title, scoring 52 points ahead of defending PIAA Class AAA champion Pennsbury, who was next in 61.
With 500 meters to go...
 Henderson scored its first five runners in the top 20, with every competitor registering under 21 minutes. Conversely, Pennsbury had its first five register in the top 22, with freshman Erin O'Connell rounding out the pack in 20:53. At the mid-waypoint, Pennsbury had held the advantage.Conrad Weiser was third with 146, Chambersburg was fourth in 148 and a not-so-secret Lower Dauphin squad was fifth with 152 points. While her placement was hardly a surprise, the way Piccirillo implemented her strategy was, at the very least entertaining. In a field that included some of the best Class AA and AAA talent this season, it seemed she hardly broke a sweat. "I don't have the speed training to do what I normally would do," she said, "so we wanted to come here and react. We had no idea what would happen, what time. So this was a race to see where I'm at." Kristen Traub of Eastern Christian in New Jersey was the next fastest competitor, finishing in 18:57, while Academy of Notre Dame's Maria Seykora was third in 19:07 and Pennsbury's Sara Sargent (post-race interview) finished in 19:09. In an impressive showing, Liberty senior Amy Darlington was fifth in 19:16.  Ten runners recorded times under 20 minutes despite a soggy course, including Elk County Catholic's Kennedy Weisner (19:21), Penn Charter's Cathryn Skinner (19:42), West Chester Henderon's Stephanie Aldrich (19:47), Lower Dauphin's DeeDee Shea (19:48) and W.C. Henderson's Jayne Augustyn (19:59). The field, inarguably the top class entering the invitational, didn't disappoint."This is my first race of the season, so I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself," said Sykora, who has a number of Ivy League schools that are interested in her talents, including Harvard, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania. "I thought I would be able to hold my position, but I faded at the end. Now I know what it takes to maintain that pace." Despite a fourth place finish, Sargent looked refreshed and eager for a new season. The Pennsbury junior raced extremely hard as a sophomore while fighting a back-and-forth battle with mono… so she took a much-needed multi-week break after the spring track season to wind down and then build back up.
PA#2 West Chester Henderson beat PA#1 Pennsbury by nine.
But Piccirillo was the key story.
Building up to this point, she had been producing 50 mile weeks to build leg strength and stamina. So you didn't see the typical breakout speed that had been a custom of her races. That's all in the future, she admitted. "I think this is a good sign, Piccirillo said. "My coach and I didn't know what kind of time I would run. Coming out here, to break 19 I'm really pleased. I'm happy and excited. Hopefully when I get more speed training, I'll see what times I can get."
Varsity Boys A (Gold)
Fighting for all the right reasons.  You could see the fight in his eyes, the bite in his lip. When North Schuylkill's Brenda Shearn (video interview) (quick post-race comments) spoke about the reasons why he initially took up cross country, it was all about respect."I never really got much of a chance in other sports, in baseball or basketball, but I always knew I was a decent athlete, so I figured why not," Shearn said. "There's no bickering, so I stuck with the individual sports." The lean and shaggy-haired harrier dominated his competition during the PTXC-3 Varsity A Gold race on Saturday at Kutztown University, pulling away late on the 3.1 mile course for a finishing time of 16 minutes, 24 seconds. It was impressive, considering most of the course was pockmarked with water, mud and tuffs of grass. Altoona's Dylan Mountain and Korey Replogle (post-race interview) were second and third respectively, registering times of 16:40 and 16:51 -- which was also impressive considering the team graduated its rock star in Wade Endress, a state medalist who currently is running for Penn State University. Altoona was fifth in team placement, scoring 125 points.  Shearn, a junior for North Schuylkill, has the potential to have a breakout season in 2011. Saturday's win was his first big conquest in his career, and one he hopes won't be his last. Later on the docket are meets at Carlisle and Paul Short.A key could be the competition he faces this season. No longer will he be a big fish in a small pond. Up next for Shearn are the big dogs. "I've won races, but most of the invitationals my school has run, they were low key races," he said. "This is my first high competition win. I'm starting to go to bigger invites, like Paul Short and Carlisle. To get my name out there and be out there with the big guns, I'll take it. For any runner this early in the year, it's important not get ahead of yourself. Shearn understands that. But he also knows his end goal. However audacious, he's willing to put it out there. "My goal in double-A is to win the state," said Shearn, who was 15th last year. "There are great guys in the field… they're all real good guys, but this puts me on their level and I think I can be on their level."  Considering last year's winner, Trinity's Tommy Gruschow, has graduated, the field is effectively open for the taking.Placing fourth in a deep boys' field was Governor Mifflin's Evan Williams in 17:06. William's squad had the last laugh, recording the varsity team title with 69 points. Lower Dauphin sophomore Jeff Groh was fifth in 17:12 and aided his team in a fourth place team finish. Osbourn Park, out of Virginia, was third in the team placement, scoring 73 points. Andrew Natour was 11th overall, finishing in 17:33. Chambersburg was fourth overall with 73 points.
Varsity Girls B (Blue)
Packing a small punch  Sophomore Danae Peters (video interview) (quick post-race comments) may be slight in size, but she's carrying the weight for Manheim Central.The lithe athlete, standing about 5-foot-3, is one of just five girls on her cross country team. She was one of just three on the Barons team a year ago -- and that team graduated its lone senior. This year's team has a number of first-timers, so her veteran status was moved up the line fairly quickly. But Peters seems to be ready for the challenge. She claimed first place in the PTXC-3 Varsity B girls' race on Saturday at Kutztown University, registering a time of 20 minutes, 41 seconds. "I was surprised," said Peters, who was a district qualifier a year ago. "I did not expect to win. But it's pretty awesome."  Through a mile and half, Peters had a sizable lead on her competition, and that lead only grew with more time and length. She outdistanced her competitors by over 30 seconds, beating Lower Merion's Lacey Serletti, who finished in 21:12.Peters has taken the role as a leader for a team that, beyond her, is about building. She serves as the team's foundation. And this year, she says, she's ready to break out. A high finish in districts, and potentially a berth in states, is something she feels she can accomplish. "Definitely," she said. She began the sport a year ago as a freshman. "I really like running," she said. "It's fun. I found that I enjoy running and I'm pretty good at it." Christopher Dock senior Carrie Gehman was third overall with a time of 21:16. She was followed by Kelly Boulger of Coatesville in fourth at 21:21 and Judy Mabone of William Tennent in fifth at 21:26.  In the team race, Daniel Boone tallied 73 points behind the 10th and 11th place finishes of sophomores Alexandria Hamill (21:59) and Alexandra Santora (22:13). William Tennent captured 2nd with 104 points behind sophomore Mabone's 5th place 21:26.
Varsity Boys B (Blue)
At the core of his success. There's a reason why 20-minute abs are routine repetition for most cross country programs. A strong core will yield strong performances. It's as simple as that.  Lancaster Mennonite senior Jared Schatz (video interview) was a student of the weight room this summer.The senior bulked up with his father and came into the season ready. On Saturday during the PTXC-3's varsity boys' B race (Blue), Schatz gave kudos to his muscular endurance as one reason for his event win in 17 minutes, 27 seconds. "I knew I had the running, but I wasn't as strong with my upper body," said Schatz, who worked specifically on his chest, shoulders and abs. "My dad and I worked real hard in the offseason with lifting, just to get that kick in the end." Saturday was his first official race win ever. "That was a real surprise," he said. But Schatz is working hard for a reason. He hopes to challenge for the District 3 Class AA individual title, and then platform it into a medal at states. He finished 28th in the PIAA event a year ago. The finish was slightly disappointing for the senior, who has taken a leadership role with Lancaster Mennonite.  Schatz pulled away during the straightaways, using his long legs and consistent energy. That's one of his biggest strengths, he said, taking the field when its close to mailing it in. A two-mile veteran on the track, Schatz has the speed of an 800er too. His Lancaster Mennonite relay team was seventh in outdoor states last spring."I realized they weren't going away, so that's when I took off," he said. "The longer it goes, that's what I like." Schatz's team was second overall in team placement, scoring 115 points. Morris Hills of New Jersey was first with 65; Daniel Boone was third with 128; Ephrata was fourth with 138 points; and Manheim Central was fifth with 166 points. Tyler Sensenig was second overall individually, recording a time of 17:31. Daniel Boone's Luke Miller was third in 17:32, Morris Hills' Travis Ellis was fourth in 17:39 and Christopher Dock's Charlie Frank was fifth in 17:47.
Junior Varsity Girls
Unified Front Maddie Bixler couldn't find an answer. Not at first, anyway. Captain? West Chester Henderson doesn't rely on just one person, just one leader.  "We wear Henderson on our jerseys," she said, "Not our last names on the back."But someone has to take credit for Bixler's effort, a 22 minute, 36 second first place finish in the PTXC-3 junior varsity girls' race. Right? "We don't have one," she said. "We don't' have a captain." Maybe that's the allure of West Chester Henderson. The all-for-one mentality seems to be working. Really working. Bixler won the jayvee race, but she was directly followed by teammates Julia Krusen (22:58) and Kathryn Alexander (23:02). West Chester Henderson had five finishers in the top 16 and won the team title by a margin of 37 points, scoring 34 overall. Chambersburg was next with 71 points. That's impressive. In varsity action, West Chester Henderson's starters put together another stunner. Pennsbury, the defending PIAA Class AAA champs, came up second (61), to the Warriors (52). Captains often define the face of a program. For West Chester Henderson, the face of the program is the school name on their jersey. "When I heard my team cheering loud, it was at mile two maybe," Bixler said. "I'm No. 8. I'm fighting to get on varsity, but they're cheering." West Chester Henderson, from the top runner down to its last, is showing the rest of the state why they're so successful. All for one, one for all. Freshman Alexis Shearer, of Chambersburg, was fourth with a time of 23:09. Greater Latrobe's Taylor Klasnic was fifth in 23:15.
Junior Varsity Boys
Tough Luck
What's the first win of Sean Weidner's cross country season going to get the Lower Dauphin freshman?  A pat on the back. That's about it.Despite his excellent showing in the PTXC-3 junior varsity boys' race, Weidner (video interview) still sits outside of the point-scoring list for the Falcons. As a freshman, he expected that. But he's content. The rookie runner, who clocked a 19 minute, 7 second time at Kutztown University, is looking to move up the charts anyway he can. "Last time I checked I was 10," said Weidner, who was so green leading at the finish line that he almost missed his turn, "so right now maybe I'm eight or nine. I was shooting for that. I don't know if it'll happen, but that would be cool. That's my long term goal." Sometimes it's good to wait. For Weidner, he has a strong team in front of him. Sophomore Jeff Groh was a district medalist and state qualifier a year ago. Other runners, including senior Dan Mummau and Dan McCreary, are solid mentors. A part of learning is about watching variables, about studying trends. Weidner admitted that he needs to take mental and physical notes in order to get better. "This race gives me a clue as to where I'll stack up in the coming years," Weidner said. "I'm hoping to keep doing fairly well and help my team." He can do that and more. What's the benefit of having veterans? There will never be a lack of competition. "I like having a fairly solid team," Weidner said. "It makes you feel like you have to work harder to keep up with that team." Mummau was fourth overall in the jayvee race, finishing in 19:35. Altoona sophomore Mason McGinnis was second in 19:21. Chambersburg's Mitchell Maier was third in 19:33, while senior teammate Collin Mangan was fifth in 19:37. Lower Dauphin won the team competition, scoring 43 points. Altoona was second with 46, Chambersburg was third with 79, Conrad Weiser fourth with 154 and Governor Mifflin fifth with 167.
Middle School Girls (2500m)
Three Musketeers
 A quick lesson in cross country metrics was illustrated for the PTXC-3's middle school girls on Saturday at Kutztown University.It went like this: First is nice, and second is great too, but three in the first five will -- likely -- always warrant you a win. Oley Valley finished three first-time harriers in the top five, claiming the section's team title with 31 points. Amanda Aulenbach was third in 11:35, Molly Talarico was fourth in 11:39 and Madison Wagner rounded the tight pack at 11:43. Afterward, satisfied Oley Valley middle school coach Linda Svydam was ecstatic. "I think it's wonderful," Svydam said. "They're middle school kids and they're running as a pack. And that makes me so happy. All of them are first year runners. And that pleases me." Practice makes perfect, but real lessons are often learned in competition. Oley Valley strategizes effectively, stocking in an idea that is as simple as time itself. If you run together and push together, you will earn results together. Oley Valley's fourth and fifth, Skyler Bonelli and Rachael Geary, were 14th and 15th, respectively. "We ran Tuesday in a mess of a course," Svydam said. "They didn't know any better in terms of racing, so I'm really proud of them." A mature Montoursville's Nicole Weisser (video interview) was first in 10:40, displaying a powerful finishing touch, while Boehm's Hannah Molloy was second in 10:51.
Middle School Boys (2500m)
See Me While You Still Can
 The Wyomissing cross country program needs to enjoy Jack DiCintio and Jack Mahon (video interview) while it can. The eighth grade tandem likely won't be around next year when they become freshmen.DiCintio and Mahon are avid soccer players, so that means cross country would interfere in the fall. But fortunately enough for Wyomissing, it has a full season to convince the pair to continue running county and postseason meets. If Saturday was a nice first indication, the pair could have a bright future in cross country. DiCintio was the first to dart past the finish line during the PTXC-3 middle school boys' final at Kutztown University, an abbreviated 1.5 mile stretch that was drenched in moisture from recent storms. DiCintio registered in 9 minutes, 59 seconds while Mahon followed in third place at 10:12. "I love the exhilaration of seeing the crowd cheering for you," said Mahon, who admitted DiCintio is his best friend. "We had a strategy to go out hard and then settle in and charge the hills. If we had our whole team, we would have won." Scary to think so much talent might not continue lining Berks county starting lines, but it's a possibility.  "I'm going to do basketball, track and soccer in high school, so I don't really know what I want to do," said DiCintio, who once finished the Philadelphia Broad Street Run, a 10-mile race in Center City. "I take it seriously, but it's just to have fun."Mahon seemed more likely to turn, considering he was sporting typical runner locks -- long, flowing blonde hair parted to the side. Plus, he was ultra competitive. "It's not like you're racing against a complete stranger," he said of pairing with DiCintio on Saturday. "I hate when they beat you." Wyomissing might hate losing two of its brightest prospects, too. Oley Valley's Hunter Stringfello finished in 10:08 and led the Lynx to a team title. Veritas Academy's Owen Bender was fourth in 10:26 while Ian Lauver of Manheim Central rounded out the top five with a time of 10:38. Oley Valley was the team champion.
PTXC 3 Preview by Lex Mercado
The 3rd edition of the PTXC Invitational will feature a star studded field of quality runners and the two best AAA girls teams in the state who will be running through the mud and slop of Kutztown University. The brand new course will bring its own challenges but the event will still be electric! Defending AAA state champions Pennsbury girls will make their 2011 debut this weekend, and PTXC 3 is the first stop on their journey to repeat. Sara Sargent will be looking to make a strong impression on her competition. Both Sargent and her team were the winners of the inagural event back in 2009. West Chester Henderson was the team champion last year at PTXC 2. After a debut win at the Immaculata relays, Henderson will be looking to defend their team title that won via a tie breaker with Osbourne Park, who will also be making their return to PTXC 3 all the way from Virginia. Janie Augustyn and Michelle Tracy will be leading the title defense for Henderson. 3rd place Lower Dauphin will also be back and so with 4th place private school Academy of Notre Dame. Individually, Angel Piccirrillo of Homer Center will make her 2011 debut after finishing 2nd at this meet last year to 2010 Foot Locker National Champion Aisling Cuffe. Maria Seykora of Notre Dame Academy had a great junior track season and earned a top ten finish at this meet last year. Kennedy Weisner of Elk COunty Catholic will be making her first appearance to the annual early season classic. Weisner is coming off a personal best 18:39 at the Big Valley Invitational last weekend. Ann Herman of Pennsbury will also be in the mix along with teammate Sargent. DeeDee Shea of Lower Dauphin was the 3rd place finisher last season. For the boys race, PTXC 2 champion Altoona is back to defend their title that they earned in comfortable fashion. They may have graduated some talented runners, but they have guys ready to put up a very respectable performance. The highlight of the boys race last year was how close the race became between the top three guys. The top returners from last year are Altoona's Korey Replogle (4th) and Governor Mifflin's Levi Lang (17th) and Dalton Fisher (19th). Since the races will be at a brand new course, then the winners will become the new course record holders. The meet records are 15:26 by Wade Endress of Altoona and 17:17 by Aisling Cuffe of Cornwall (NY). |
Kutztown, PA RESULTS POSTED
PHOTOS
Photo Gallery by Charles Stone
RACE VIDEO
VIDEO INTERVIEWS Angel Piccirillo - Girls Varsity Gold Champ (quick post-race comment
Angel Piccirillo - Post-Race interview
Sara Sargent - Girls Varsity Gold 4th place (2009 PTXC-1 Champion) Brendan Shearn - Boys Varsity Gold Champ
Korey Replogle and Dylan Mountain - Altoona (3rd & 2nd place in Boys Varsity Gold
Brendan Shearn - quick post-race comments
Danae Peters - Girls Varsity Blue Champion
Dana Peters - Quick post-race comments
Jared Schatz - Boys Varsity B (Blue) Champion
Sean Weidner - Boys Junior Varsity Champion
Nicole Weisser - Middle School Champion
Jack DiCintio and Jack Mahon - Boys Middle School
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| 09/10 |
 Quad X High School Invitational
Central Bucks South
The Lasalle boys took home the overall relay title with a time of 45:17, with an average of 5:39 per mile. Germantown Academy was 2nd with an overall time of 46 minutes even. For the girls, Central Bucks South was the top PA team, finishing 2nd with a overall time of 57:40. Delsea NJ won the relay with a time of 56:03.
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Philadelphia, PA RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
 The 16th Annual Cherokee Challenge
Cherokee HS
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Marlton, NJ RESULTS POSTED
NO PA ATHLETES |
| 09/10 |
Tiffin Cross Country Carnival
Columbian
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Tiffin, OH RESULTS POSTED
NO PA ATHLETES |
| 09/10 |
 Twin Valley Raider Invitational
Twin Valley
Pennsbury's boys placed four in the top nine led by individual champion Connor Harriman (17:09) to score 31 points and defeat the host school Twin Valley by 32. For the girls, Owen J Roberts placed four in the top ten led by a 3rd place finish from Sarah Taylor to win the team title with 44 points, 29 points better than Garden Spot. Meghan Harvey of Oxford Area ran 21:17 to win the individual title by four seconds over Phoenixville's Rachel Carr.
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Elverson, PA RESULTS POSTED
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| 09/10 |
Waynesburg Invitational
Waynesburg College
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Waynesburg, PA COLLEGIATE
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It was her first win of the PTXC series after she finished in second a year ago to 2010 Foot Locker Champion Aisling Cuffe.