Centre County cross country teams look to defend championships

How could the St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy girls’ cross country team possibly top its 2015 season?

The first PIAA championship in school history in any sport is pretty hard to beat.

That’s where the bar is set for the Lady Wolves, who return much of that team for another season of running.

It’s a sport that has been strong for a number of programs in Centre County, with the Penns Valley boys and both State College programs defending a District 6 title as the new season approaches.

A quick look at area teams:

St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy

Paced by returning District 6 Class A champion Sera Mazza, the stable is full for the Lady Wolves as they try to duplicate their run last fall to the PIAA Class A crown. Mazza added a fourth-place effort at the state course.

The team lost Lucia Person, Jordan Wiser and Jiyoon Kim from the team, but other top runners returning this fall are Julia Cusatis, Lea Fisher, Kate Ott, Grace Cousins, Lindsey Carmack and Maggie Urban.

“We have a great group of athletes who embrace the process and are willing to do the work to explore the boundaries of their limits,” said coach Jayson Jackson, who is in his sixth season leading the program.

The boys’ team was second at the district meet and 13th at the PIAA Championships, also making the state meet for the first time as a team.

While three big point-earners were lost to graduation, they bring back Michael Peters, Kaelan Wright, Andy Rogan and Max Wortman and have added a number of other runners to sustain the depth.

“Our team is filled with leaders and it is strengthening the group as a whole,” Jackson said. “We are excited about the journey of the upcoming season and looking forward to reaping the rewards of our hard work.”

Bald Eagle Area

The Lady Eagles lost a pair of runners off the 2016 squad but bring in four newcomers to provide plenty of depth.

They already had a full complement of scoring runners coming back with Liz Wellar, Kaleigh Kinley, Rachel Warner, Kendra Livery, Lindy Meyers and Mariah Veneziano.

The numbers are thinner for the boys, but they do have a full five to score points with returnees Austin Klinger, Gavin Schnarrs, Caleb Spackman and newcomers Luke Wilson and Weston Eppley.

“(We’re looking) to be competitive in dual, conference and district meets,” coach Jeff Jodon said.

Bellefonte

The numbers are a little thin for both Bellefonte teams, especially on the girls’ side, as the new season approaches.

The Lady Red Raiders lost PIAA qualifier Anya Hoaglund, who will be running at Cornell this year, and two others while adding just one to the roster.

“We have a small team this year,” coach Kim Gasper said, “but they are a nice mix of experience and youth and are motivated and working together toward a successful season.”

Looking to strengthen the team through competition, the Raiders also added two invitational meets this fall to the schedule with the Bear Mountain Invitational and the Slippery Rock Invitational.

Penns Valley

The Penns Valley boys had yet another strong campaign in 2015, with an undefeated dual meet season, a Mountain League title and a District 6 Class A crown.

The Rams lost only one runner from that squad, with Chris Colwell, Sammy Gray, Mark Bierly, Charlie Romig, Haden Stamm and Everett Van Heyst seeking to improve on their ninth-place effort at the PIAA Championships.

“(The) boys have put in more miles this summer than any group I’ve ever coached,” said coach Terry Glunt, who has 216 wins to his credit. “We expect to be competitive in our league, district, and state. We hope to improve on our finishes from the past few seasons.”

Leading the Lady Rams is Rebecca Bierly, who was seventh in the state last fall, and that team is loaded up as well with only one point-winner lost from last fall.

“Our numbers are up this year and several of the girls worked hard over the summer,” Lady Rams coach Lynda Federinko said of a team that was 8-2 last season and was sixth in District 6 Class A. This fall, however, the Rams teams will move up to Class AA in cross country.

“We hope to be competitive in the Mountain League again this year,” Federinko said. “Our goal is to show improvement over the season.”

Philipsburg-Osceola

Jason McKenzie takes the helm of the Mounties’ program, which had an injection of youth this season.

Four boys join the returning pair of Dane Soltys and Matthew Shimmel to give the team enough for team scoring. Zach Myers, Josh Rea, Ben Schiefer and Hunter Wolf are the new Mounties.

The girls’ ranks are thinner with Kristen Bennett back on the team, joined by newcomers Lindsay Bordas, Sam Bainey, Megan Kosut.

“This year’s team will have many newcomers and first-time runners,” McKenzie said. “We’ll work hard and have fun while we build a solid foundation for success.”

State College

The Lady Little Lions are once again loaded with talent even after graduation losses and have high expectations for the season.

Returning District 6 individual champion Catherine Curtin paces a group that lost just two runners from a fifth-place PIAA finish for cross country, and helped the track and field team in the spring to a second-place state finish. Curtin is a senior, as is Haley Gervin, but the team is still strong for the future with returners Cailin Saylor, Julia Neely and Bella Dinallo and sophomore Emma Simon. With a mere 37-second spread from its first to fifth runner at the PIAA cross country meet, the Lady Little Lions showed how to run strong as a unit.

Joining the team and expected to have an impact is junior Gabbi Bock, a transfer from Charlottesville, Va., and freshmen Ellie Haushalter and Jane Biddle.

“Building strong team chemistry, executing smart training along with racing tactics are always our number one goals,” coach Rebecca Donaghue-Gilkes said. “I see this team as working really well together and pushing each other to big things such as defending our Mid Penn (conference) title and bettering our 2015 fifth-place at the PIAA State Meet.”

The Little Lion boys lost considerably more from its Mid Penn and district champion team, but it also has depth with a huge roster.

Leading the returning group are Nick Feffer and Owen Wing, who were members of the school-record-setting 4x800 state champion relay team in the spring as State College won the PIAA team title. Tom Branstetter and Owen Isham also return from last fall’s cross country roster.

This story was originally published August 29, 2016 at 12:59 AM with the headline "Centre County cross country teams look to defend championships."