CROSS COUNTRY: Female Athlete of the Week: Abby Yourkavitch excels in busy week
It was, in several ways, just a matter of time.
It seemed almost inevitable that Chambersburg's brightest running star, Abby Yourkavitch, would end up holding the girls course record at the Trojans' home, the Tim Cook Memorial Course.
And the sophomore took care of that little piece of business last week, running a time of 18:25 to smash the previous record of 18:37 set by Sarah Morrison in 2005.
Yourkavitch then finished her week with a runner-up finish in the Mid Penn Conference championships. She is the Public Opinion Female Athlete of the Week.
Tuesday was a nice day weather-wise and the Trojans were aiming to clinch the MPC Commonwealth Division crown.
Yourkavitch said, "The course record was something I definitely wanted to get, but I didn't know if I'd do it that day. The first mile was pretty fast and I felt good, but I wasn't sure I waYourkas going to get it until near the end when I saw the clock."
Chambersburg coach Chris Monheim said, "Our course sets up well for her because it's a tough course with lots of hills. It suits a strong runner and she is a strong runner. One reason I think she's better at cross country than track is because she can excel on challenging courses."
At Saturday's Mid Penn race, Yourkavitch held the lead for the first two miles, until Cumberland Valley's Mady Clahane shot past her to win by 29 seconds. Clahane ran a 17:54 and Yourkavitch's time of 18:23 was the fastest-ever for a Trojan on the Big Spring course.
Yourkavitch said, "I thought this time I might get Mady, and I went out fast with that hope. It didn't happen, but I have a couple more chances against her. She pushes me and I think I push her, and we've become really good friends."
Monheim said, "Abby is just a rare kid – she's the most competitive kid I've ever coached. Sometimes I have to restrain her from doing too much in practice. There are very few runners who can go out and hold a pace like she can. But there are times I'd like to see here hold back a little in the beginning of a race."
"I definitely like to lead, but Saturday I might have taken it out too hard," Yourkavitch said. "I need to gauge that better. I don't have a real good kick, but I'm hoping I can better at it."
Sport: Cross country
Grade: Sophomore
Parents: Mary and Brad Yourkavitch
Other interests: She also runs indoor and outdoor track & field in the distance races.
Surprising fact: The lucky pair of socks that Yourkavitch started wearing last year for all of her races are still use, and she said, " I do wash them."
Favorite teams: Alabama and Penn State football
Favorite athlete: Neely Spence
Statistics: In an 18-45 win Tuesday over Central Dauphin that clinched the Mid Penn Commonwealth Division title, Yourkavitch won the race in 18:25, which broke the previous course record by 12 seconds ... Saturday, Yourkavitch placed second in the MPC championships, putting up a time of 18:23.