PA Stories from Manhattan:
Despite those necessary SATs - PA scores well in the Bronx
A lot was stacked against Pennsylvania runners in the Bronx on Saturday – warm temperatures, top-ranked schools, tougher course conditions – the biggest adversity they faced was holding a No. 2 pencil.
At least two rosters – PA #1 Pennsbury and Conestoga – were decimated by missing juniors and seniors who took a scheduled SAT exam in order to bolster their college applications.
But for the teams who managed to field a full squad, they shined against some traditional powerhouses from New York and New Jersey. In the Girls Varsity ‘A’ race, PA #5 West Chester Henderson coasted to the team title over NY-AA #16 Cicero-North Syracuse and NY-AA #17 Guilderland, 60-98-113.
Junior Janie Augustyn led the team in third place, running 15:36.00, trailed by junior Amanda Eisman in 15:48.23.
Coach Bill Lott called the performance a “pleasant surprise” before adding that they always expect to compete to win every race. He said that the rest of the season would be focused on the upcoming championship part of the season.
“There’s no question Pennsbury is the best team in the state,” Lott said. “But I think if we place in the top-5 at districts and make states, we’ll be thrilled.”
In the Varsity ‘E’ Girls Race, PA #6 North Penn also won with 60 points, although the margin was smaller. It beat NJ #6 Ridge and NJ# 18 Pingry 60-78-108. Leading the way for North Penn was Meghan McGovern, who successfully defended her 2009 win, with a comfortable victory in 14:54.19. McGovern ran slightly faster last year, but she thought this race required a harder effort because she led from start to finish.
“It’s a good barometer,” said coach Jim Crawford, who said 60 points is the team’s lowest total ever at the meet. “If you can run with these big teams up here, you’re doing something right. I’m impressed.”
Even for Pennsbury, who was without three of its top varsity girls, it was a productive day. They raced in the ultra-competitive Girls Easterns State Championships and finished ninth, besting NY-AA #6 St. Anthony’s, NY-AA #12 Warwick Valley, and NY-AA #19 West Genesee.
Leading the way was Sara Sargent, who finished sixth in 14:47.54. It was slower than what she expected but she added “Everyone is entitled to a poor race and today wasn’t even that poor.”
As for her missing teammates, Sargent sad it was “like missing a member of your family” but added perspective, saying it’s better to have it happen now than on a championship meet in November.
Two Pennsylvania teams raced in the Boys Eastern States Championships. Germantown Friends (PA #5 small schools) finished 14th overall and edged Philadelphia area rival La Salle by just 8 points. La Salle’s Tom Trainor was the top PA finisher, running 13:14.93, good for 20th. La Salle was led by Seniors David Waterman (13:31.08) and Evan Caldwell (13:33.36) in 41st and 45th, respectively.
Conestoga, the other team affected by the SAT scheduling, was missing seven boys and girls between its two varsity teams, according to coach Ryan Comstock, who found a silver lining in his team’s thinned roster. He had a chance to see a couple of emerging runners perform well on the big stage. In the absence of lead runner Maddie Klebe, freshman Shannon Sweeney stepped up and finished 22nd for the girls. For the boys, Comstock said he saw the future in Andrew Twomely, another freshman.
“We’re wondering what we could have done with a full team,” he said. “But it’s nice to kind of get a little bit of a break too.”