Freshmen Drive Eden Christian to Tri-State Cross Country Title

Eden Christian Academy’s girls cross country team secured the Class A championship at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association meet with a 42-point total. The race took place on Oct. 22 at White Oak Park, serving as a final tune-up before the WPIAL cross country championships.

The Warriors' depth relied heavily on its newest members. Four of the top five finishers for the school were freshmen. Gabrielle Haring and Alison Harris led the pack, placing fourth and fifth respectively. Haring crossed the line in 21:26.16, followed closely by Harris at 21:28.91.

Senior Nina Wygant contributed to the team score with an eighth-place finish in 22:22.79. Her younger sister, freshman Darby Wygant, placed 13th with a time of 23:21.94. Freshman Lana Madia finished 14th in 23:23.59 to complete the scoring group. The team’s other entrants included sophomore Mia Neuhart (25:02.91), freshman Abby Molnar (26:33.60), and seniors Hannah Duncan (25:37.35), Ellie Toy (26:34.92), and Annika Muir (29:02.17).

Shenango finished second in the Class A girls division with 79 points. Trinity Christian followed with 106 points, while Hillel Academy recorded 107 and Aquinas Academy tallied 118. The competitive gap between the winner and second place was 37 points.

In the Class A boys race, South Side claimed the top spot with 58 points. The team narrowly beat Aquinas Academy and Neshannock, which both recorded 59 points. Riverside placed fourth with 107 points, and Shenango finished fifth with 110. Eden Christian’s boys team placed sixth with 116 points.

South Side’s performance was driven by its freshman class. Micah Wabiszewski placed 17th with a time of 18:20.47. Carson Miller finished 21st in 19:40.80. Will Reilly placed 40th in 20:12.31, narrowly ahead of junior Ben Reilly, who finished 41st in 20:13.85. Senior Ty Grillo placed 33rd in 18:39.98. The Panthers also entered junior Nathan Kettel (20:49.62), sophomore Grant Incorvati (21:52.56), senior Noah Wicks (23:46), and freshmen Caden Bryan (22:44) and James Cost (25:55).

Sewickley Academy’s Charlotte Morton placed 10th in the Class A girls race. The sophomore ran a time of 22:52.66. Seniors Kayla Keefer (24:55.66) and Sarah Stepke (27:06.92) also competed for the girls team. In the boys division, Sewickley was represented by sophomore Connor Thurman (21:13.79) and junior Owen Mullin (24:55.48).