PIAA cross country: Chambersburg girls capture ninth at PIAA Championships
HERSHEY >> When Abby Yourkavitch crossed the finish line at the PIAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning, she wasn't happy.
When teammate Kaylee Mowery followed her in 32nd place, she likewise wasn't happy.
In fact, when Chambersburg's girls team met at the water table, there was a lot of hugging and a lot of tears.
"I think last week a lot of us peaked at districts, so to come to states and not have the dream performances that we were hoping for was a little upsetting," Yourkavitch said. "I mean, none of us did bad. We all did really well, but we had our expectations a little bit too high."
Little did Yourkavitch and the Lady Trojans know, they were about to be pleasantly surprised.
Just a few minutes later, Chambersburg girls coach Chris Monheim rushed over to his team in a whirl of happiness. The Lady Trojans placed ninth overall in Class AAA.
"That's our highest finish in years," Monheim said, all smiles. "The top couple teams were untouchable, and we knew that. I don't know that we could call this a great, great day, but it was a very high level, one of the best of the season."
Chambersburg was the second finisher out of District 3 and was just 15 points out of seventh place in the team standings.
Yourkavitch placed 14th, which was one spot lower than her finish a year ago, but she clocked in at 18:50, a drop of 10 seconds from 2014.
"It was a better time than last year, so I can't be upset about it," Yourkavitch said. "The field this year is a lot stronger than last year, so I'm a little disappointed, but I can't say I didn't give it my all."
Mowery, a sophomore, was frustrated at the finish line, because she wanted a top-25 medal. She settled for 32nd in 19:19.
"I was really hunting for a medal this year," Mowery said. "I know I got out in the wrong spot, and I had like 20 people to pass. Every time I'm at this meet, I get boxed in, and this time it happened again. It just didn't work out."
But much like Yourkavitch, Mowery had a huge improvement over last season when she placed 105th.
"Mowery could not have been more than 10 or 15 seconds from a medal," Monheim said. "She's disappointed, but she was like 80 spots higher than a year ago."
Another local to make a big jump was Fannett-Metal's Steven Glodek, who captured 46th in boys Class A in 17:46.
"This year, I worked a lot on getting my downhill posture right, so I was leaning over more and letting the momentum carry me," Glodek said. "Coach (Mathern) Mellott really helped me perfect that. A top-50 finish, I'll take that any day. Forty-five or above would've been nice, but 46th for little ol' Fannett-Metal, that's quite an accomplishment, I think."
Southern Fulton's boys team was paced by Chase Varner, who captured 79th. He clocked in at 18:06 on a very difficult course.
"The first mile, you want to get out and establish good position because it's kind of fast," Varner said. "The second mile hits you pretty hard; it's very hilly and very rough on you. The third mile is pretty much straight adrenaline. Coming off the hills, you just want to finish and get it over with.
"It's really a privilege to come out here and run with some of the top guys in the state, and really just have a good time."
Chambersburg's only male runner was Alex Hayden, who finished 175th in 17:43.
On the girls side, Chambersburg's top five girls were all in the top 200. Cadie Kiser was 94th in 20:14, Cassie Essis took 161th in 21:05 and Sydney Parson rounded out the top five in 21:22, good enough for 170th.
"Cassie Essis was considerably better than she has been," Monheim said. "Sydney Parson was outstanding. She's our most inexperienced runner, and she was our No. 5 on a state team. Cadie Kiser doesn't get a lot of credit because of Yourkavitch and Mowery, but she has held it down. She was our No. 3 runner every single race, and that consistency is nice to have."
As for Yourkavitch, who is still hunting down her first top-10 finish at the state meet, she thinks she has gained some valuable race experience for the future.
"You know, sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn from it," Yourkavitch said. "This time, I definitely learned not go in front of the state for the first 200 meters. I just started feeling fatigued. A few girls passed by me right at the end, and I just couldn't get by them."
PIAA Championships
Saturday's results at Hersheypark
Boys Class aaa
Team
1.Downingtown West 57, 2.North Allegheny 105, 3.Central Bucks West 132, 4.LaSalle College 142. 5.Council Rock North 205.
Individual
1.Jake Brophy, CBE, 15:39. 2.Jaxson Hoey, DW, 15:40. 3.Josh Hoey, DW, 15:49. 4.Nick Wolf, PT, 15:53. 5.Nathan Henderson, JPM, 15:53. 6.Henry Sappey, DW, 15:53. 7.Jacob Stupak, NA, 15:55. 8.Jake Susalla, Plum, 15:56. 9.Jeff Krshenbaum, Meth., 15:58. 10.Marc Migliozzi, NA, 16:04. 11.Kent Hall, Uv, 16:05. 12.Rock Fortna, CBW, 16:06. 13.Mike Kolor, SV, 16:08. 14.Kevin Lapsansky, EA, 16:10.
Girls Class AAA
Team
1.Pennsbury 47. 2.Unionville 72. 3.Seneca Valley 138. 4.Perkiomen Valley 197. 5.State College 200. 9.Chambersburg 251. 10.Owen J. Roberts 254.
Individual
1.Olivia Sargent, Penns, 18:01. 2.Aislinn Devlin, DW, 18:09. 3.Anna Juul, Uv, 18:21. 4.Mady Clahane, CuV, 18:27. 5.Alison Willingmyre, Wil, 18:35. 6.Hannah Molloy, Penns, 18:37. 7.Kacie Breeding, Uv, 18:41. 8.Olivia Arizin, COH, 18:43. 9.Mary Webb, Penns, 18:44. 10.Annie Gldek, PeV, 18:44. 11.Lauren Finikiotis, OC, 18:44. 12.Raisa Kochmaruk, Lib, 18:49. 13.Maddie Villalba, CBW, 18:49. 14.Abby Yourkavitch, Cham, 18:50. 15.Diana Hammerstone, EA, 18:51.
Other Chambersburg runners — 32.Kaylee Mowery 19:19, 94.Cadie Kiser 20:14, 161.Cassie Essis 21:05, 170.Sydney Parson 21:22, 202.Olivia Sommers 22:25, 216.Rachael Sollars 23:15.
Other Team Winners
Boys AA — 1.Dallas
Boys A — 1.Camp Hill, 18.Southern Fulton
Girls AA — 1.Villa Maria
Girls A — 1.St. Joesph's Catholic
Other Individual Winners
Boys AA — 1.Dominic Hockenberry, Lake-Lehman
Boys A — 1.Griffin Mackey, Sewickley Academy; Other area runners — 46.Steven Glodek (Fannett-Metal) 17:46, 79.Chase Varner (Southern Fulton) 18:06, 185.Benji Voight (SF) 19:39, 190.Jonah Golden (SF) 19:45, 191.Sage Minteer (SF) 19:47, 199.Nate Voight (SF) 20:08, 202.Dylan Ensor (SF) 20:15, 216.Logan Beatty (SF) 20:59.
Girls AA — 1.Ally Rome, Dallas
Girls A — 1.Marianne Abdalah, Vincentian Academy