RIDGWAY — The St. Marys Lady Dutch took the top two spots to end the Bradford High’s cross country team’s three-year run as district champions on Saturday at the Class AA meet.
St. Marys scored 32 points while Bradford was second with 45 points. Punxsutawney was third with 72 points, Clearfield fourth with 87 points and Karns City fifth with 120 points.
Michelle Bauer of St. Marys was the overall winner on the 3.1-mile course with a time of 19:39.
“The girls ran hard the entire race,” BAHS coach Mark Kelley said. “I am extremely proud of the way that they ran and St. Marys definitely had to run hard to win the title this year. I knew it was going to be an uphill fight with them taking the first two spots. But the girls never gave up and fought the entire race. We did get two state qualifiers in Emily and Amanda Little, who will move on to the PIAA meet Nov. 5 in Hershey (10:15 a.m.).”
Bradford senior Emily Little was fourth in 21:28.
“Emily has had a great career and joins a small group of girls to run in the state meet all four years,” the coach said. “She has improved so much over the past four years and has become a very complete runner. She was consistent all year and really stepped into the number one runner role. She put in the time during the off season and summer to put herself in this position.” Junior Amanda Little was seventh in 21:53.
“Amanda was able to get the last individual qualifier spot,” Kelley said. “She was up to 5th at the 2-mile mark but the Punxsutawney and Clearfield runner just got by her in the last 500 meters. She has had a great season and has also been a very consistent runner. She is a very dedicated runner and she will be back next year.”
Sophomore Bethany Bednez was 10th in 22:23.
“Bethany had a great race and season,” Kelley stated. “She really gained a lot of confidence this season as a runner. She ran a lot of very good races and was consistently one of our top four runners. Bethany is only a sophomore so it’s nice to have her back for two more years.” Freshman Shea Crissman was 11th in 22:24.
“Shea and Bethany fought with the two St. Marys runners the entire race and those girls just pulled away in the last 200 meters,” Kelley added. “For Shea to come in this year as a freshman and be consistently in our top four is impressive. She is a very talented runner and I think will have a great career over the next three years.”
Senior Cara Webster was 13th in 22:59.
“Cara improved so much this year after not running cross country for the past two years,” Kelley noted. “To come back and be in our top five shows the caliber of athlete she is and her work ethic.”
Senior Morgan Whitlow was 14th in 23:00.
“Morgan had a great career the last four years,” Kelley said. “She ran in four district meets and three state meets. She stepped up this year and took on the leadership role as one of the captains. The younger girls really looked up to her and she was a great role model for them.” Conner Gracey-Dalton was 25th in 24:59.
“Conner had a great season for her first year,” the coach said. “She gained a lot of experience in big races this year and that will definitely help next year. I think with a good indoor and outdoor track season she will improve a lot next year.
“I know this group of seniors wanted to go out with one more district title and they left it all on the course. Four of the seniors (Morgan Whitlow, Emily Little, Emily Reams and Cheyenne Armstrong) have been on the team for six years and have dedicated a lot of time and effort for the past six years. Cara ran for four years and Sam for the past two. It’s been an honor and privilege to coach these six girls and I thank them for everything they have done.
“I would also like to thank all of the parents and family members who supported us at our meets this year and Saturday in Ridgway.”
In the varsity extra race, Clare Mulcahy was 1st in 24:47, Destinee Deitz 2nd in 25:23, Emily Reams 3rd in 25:49, Samantha Gross 4th in 26:19, Logan Sunafrank 6th in 26:29, Emmaline Drummond 7th in 27:56, Haleigh Reid 9th in 28:24, Alex Safran 10th in 28:29 and Cheyenne Armstrong had a time of 28:47.
Top 20 varsity finishers:
1) Michelle Bauer SM 19:39, 2) Amanda Foster SM 19:55, 3) Rebecca Pennington KC 20:22, 4) Emily Little B 21:28, 5) Isabel Hackenberry P 21:43, 6) Paige Mikesell C 21:50, 7) Amanda Little B 21:53, 8) Tessa Grotzinger SM 22:08, 9) Lucy Anthony SM 22:19, 10) Bethany Bednez B 22:23, 11) Shea Crissman B 22:24, 12) Autumn Majchrazak SM 22:48, 13) Cara Webster B 22:59, 14) Morgan Whitlow B 23:00, 15) Gabby Franklin P 23:06, 16) Jenna Barnoff P 23:16, 17) Alyse Whitman P 23:29, 18) Jaclyn Freeman C 23:37, 19) Hayley Dilts P 23:50, 20) Ashley Struble C 23:52
