State College boys and girls claim top-three finishes at PIAA cross-country championships

Despite turning over a roster and sending seven new runners to Hershey to compete in their first PIAA cross-country championship, both the State High boys and girls teams earned top-three team finishes on Saturday.

The State High boys finished as AAA runner-up behind a 123-point output at Hershey’s Parkview Cross-Country Course. State High claimed its first boys’ PIAA title in nearly four decades last year.

The State High girls placed third in AAA competition on Saturday with 166 points. The Little Lions finished fourth last year in Hershey.

“We couldn’t be prouder,” head coach Rebecca Donaghue said. “For both boys and girls to be in the top three is a really nice statement about our program and our consistency. ... It’s a very competitive state. Our courses are incredibly hard, competition is top-notch. The kids have been so positive and fun to work with.”

A trio of Little Lions collected medals at the championships to finish among Pennsylvania’s best.

Junior Theo Oppermann (15:45) paced all State High runners on the day with a third-place finish. Fellow junior Luke Bradbury tallied a time of 15:46, which was good enough to finish fifth among all runners.

“It was a completely different team from last year — just like the girls,” Donaghue said of her boys. “They really executed. We wanted them to go out hard in that opening mile, and they did exactly that.”

Sophomore Evie Younkin placed 17th among all runners with a 19:17 finish.

“Evie put herself in that race by being in the top throughout the whole race,” Donaghue said. “She really went after it. She’s only a sophomore, and I thought she did a remarkable job and really improved from last year.”

A pair of State High seniors, Lacey Sheaffer (21:04) and Julia Bigger (20:46), also ran in Hershey. Junior Autumn Swisher recorded a time of 20:41. Silvia Hutchinson (20:44) and Carolyn Frank (20:32) joined Younkin as State High’s sophomore representatives. Freshman Ainsley Baraba notched a 21:51 finish.

For the State High boys, senior Ben Alexander recorded a time of 18:05. Sophomores Thomas Ruffing and Dexter Walker earned times of 17:30 and 16:53, respectively. Junior Kyle Fritzsche posted a time of 17:11.

Emmaus senior Madelyn McCartney placed first overall in the AAA girls field with an 18:17 finish. Travis Furmanski, a Cedar Crest senior, boasted the best boys time with his 15:34 finish. Norwin’s girls team finished first in the team race with 54 points, while the North Penn boys topped the field with 115 points.

State High wasn’t the only Centre County school to see its runners medal.

Sophomore Jonathan Gasper ran a 16:59 to place 14th and finish as Bellefonte’s lone medalist at the AA championships. Four seconds stood between Gasper and a top-10 performance.

Saturday sparked a tinge of déjà vu for Bellefonte’s contingent, as the school’s cross-country team competed in the PIAA Foundation XC Invitational in September. Gasper trimmed a couple of seconds off his September finish to medal at Parkview.

“He ran a 17:01 on that day,” Bellefonte coach Kim Gasper said. “The focus when you’re in cross-country is place, and this was a big deal because he wanted to be in the top 25 and medal.”

Three other Red Raider runners joined Gasper in Hershey.

Seniors Addison Fry and Natalie Jolley ran 20:55 and 21:20, respectively. Junior Maverick Muchmore recorded an 18:11.

“This team made a commitment; they worked hard,” Kim Gasper said. “They ran all summer. They came into the season and they were ready to go. It made things much easier for the coaches.”

Penns Valley senior Taven Price posted a time of 18:30 in boys AA competition.

Cathedral Prep’s 74 points claimed the top spot in girls AA action, while Hughesville’s 135 points were tops in the AA boys field.