Lady Raiders鈥� Trimmer places 5th in PIAA cross country meet
Jim Downey | 蘑菇视频
Uniontown senior Grace Trimmer overcame a rough start in the PIAA Class AA Individual Cross Country Championship at Hershey Park on Saturday morning for a fifth-place finish.
Trimmer finished with a time of 19:08. Saucon Valley’s Virginia Kraus finished first in 18:18 and Somerset Area’s Emily Fisher placed second in 18:37.
Trimmer had to work her way through the pack over the first mile.
“I had a rough start. I was pretty far back,” explained Trimmer. “I had to pass some people.
“I had a touch of nausea. I wasn’t mentally nervous. I was body nervous. I never experienced anything quite like this.”
Trimmer slowly started to gain her footing in the race and managed to get into her rhythm around the mile mark.
“I was boxed in a bunch of runners. It opened up a bit and I started passing people,” said Trimmer, who estimated she was in 14th place at the time. “Once I got around a mile, I got into the groove of things.
“I started to pick people off in the middle mile. I picked off one more girl in the final kilometer.”
The Hershey course offered a variety of surfaces the runners had to navigate.
“There was a lot of gravel. They added an asphalt stretch. I was unique to run on, “said Trimmer. “It was helpful going to states the last two years. I knew what to expect.”
Trimmer checked off all the boxes with her fifth-place finish.
“I wanted to medal and show some improvement (with her time), and I was able to do both today,” added Trimmer. “I’m really proud (of her fifth-place medal). I’m satisfied to end my high school season on that note.”
Trimmer’s season is not over because she’s scheduled to run in the Nike Cross Nationals regional at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., on Nov. 23. She hopes to qualify for the nationals to be held on Dec. 7 in Portland, Ore.
Trimmer missed a month of training when the season got underway because she was in concussion protocol.
“I definitely think so,” Trimmer responded when asked if the time off helped in some way. “It wasn’t ideal for training, but it helped me feel fresh in training.”
Southmoreland’s Lexi Ohler finished 40th overall in the Class AA final with a time of 20:43. Belle Vernon freshman Brooklyn Steeber placed 86th in 21:24. Uniontown’s Charley Murtha was 94th in 21:27. Ringgold’s Lily Brenneman finished 98th with a time of 21:28. Laurel Highlands’ Isabella Baker placed 103th in 21:33 and teammate Taylor Schwertfeger was 132nd in 21:56.
State College (53) and LaSalle College (117) were the top two boys teams in Class AAA. Mifflin County’s Carter Smith finished first in 15:41, with Lower Merion’s Nicholas Mazzeo crossing the finish line four seconds later.
The Grove City boys won the Class AA team title with 85 points. Lewisburg’s Jonathan Hess won the race in 15:57. Freeport’s Michael Braun was second in 16:05.
The Uniontown boys finished 16th with a team score of 338 points. Copper Gilleland led the Red Raiders to the finish line by finishing 25th (for team scoring) with a time of 17:23. Ethan Syner finished four seconds later in 26th place. Chase King (62, 18:21), Logan Davis (102, 19:07), Donte Rugola (123, 19:52), Lucas Garner (126, 20:00), and Alex Hawk (127, 20:01) also ran for the Red Raiders.
Laurel Highlands’ Matt Schwertfeger finished between Gilleland and Syner in 48th overall with a time of 17:24.
Winchester Thurston breezed to the boys Class A team title with 89 points. Mohawk’s Jaxon Schoedel won the race in 15:52.
California’s Carter Kent, who qualified for the state meet with a school record time in the WPIAL final, placed 60th overall in 18:10.
The Haverford Twp. girls won the Class AAA title with 110 points. Hatboro Horsham’s Lillian Dicola finished first with a time of 18:31, just two seconds ahead of Carlisle’s Ana Bondy and Dallastown’s Leah Navaro.
Cranberry won the girls Class A team gold medal with 88 points. Warrior Run’s Claire Dufrene won the individual gold medal with a time of 19:04.
Geibel Catholic junior Emma Larkin placed 84th overall with a time of 22:18. California senior Lucia Meiss was 153rd overall in 23:50.