Sports
Area High School Cross Country Teams Ready for New Challenges
Here is a Glimpse of a few cross country (XC) Teams Along The Main Line
The beginning of high school and college sports seasons often have challenges. Top athletes graduated in June, so it becomes a rebuilding year. Another hurdle is when coaches begin coaching a different school for the first time.
Here is a brief look at some of the area high school XC teams.
Find out what's happening in Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Find out what's happening in Ardmore-Merion-Wynnewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Friends Central Boys
FC Boys’ Head Coach Daniel Johnson
This is Johnson’s third year as head coach of the F. C. Boys (the Phoenix). Last year the Phoenix finished fifth at the Friends’ League Championships.
Runners to Watch: Senior Alex Veith.
”He is the leader of the team and an experienced captain,” said Johnson. “He will be one of the most consistent runner on the team.”
Another key FC runner to watch for is junior Diego Spielman-Rodriguez. This past spring, Spielman-Rodriguez clocked 4:23 in the 1600 and 9:42 in the 3200. .
Runners Lost to Graduation: Captain Nathan Levitties.
“He was a core captain and leader and will be greatly missed,” said Johnson.
Coach’s Outlook:
“My expectations are high. The core of the team are experienced upperclassmen and with the addition of Diego, I am looking for top 3 at League champs and our highest finish at states in quite some time.”
Friends’ Central Girls
FC Girls’ Head Coach Venetia Ricketts
This is Ricketts fourth year as head coach of the FC girls.
Last year, the Phoenix were the Friends’ School League Champions and finished second in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) meet.
Runners to Watch: Senior Lydia Russell, sophomore Micah Trusty, and senior Rebecca Wusinich.
Other Runners to Watch: Sophomore Natalie Neuhaus and transfer student sophomore Miracle Price.
The FC Girls did not lose any runners to graduation.
Coach’s Outlook:
“Our biggest strengths is having great senior leadership and about 90% attendance during preseason. Our junior and senior returnees have trained year round and are eager to go for PAISSA championship and another FSL championship this year.”
Ricketts added: “Our challenge is getting new team members acclimated to the running program in such a short amount of time.”
Harriton Boys
Head Coach of the Harriton Boys XC team is Phil Reilly.
This is Coach Reilly’s first year coaching the Rams. He was the head XC coach of Arch Bishop Carroll from 2000 to 2008.
Last Year’s Record: 7-4 in the Central League and finished 5th overall at the Central League Championships. Runners to Watch: Senior Sam Kartsonis, senior Scott Blender, sophomore Leo Pearlstein, sophomore Scott Blender, juniors Aaron and Isaiah Trader. Other Runners to Watch: Junior Finn Glew, who transferred from Penn Charter, and senior Mike Strauss, who is returning from an injury. Coach’s Outlook: “We should contend for a top stop in the Central League and hope to do well at the District 1 Championship. Sam qualified for states last year and we hope to at least have one state qualifier this fall.”
Harriton Girls
Head Coach of the Harriton Girls’ XC team Larissa Binkley
This is Binkley’s 4th year coaching the Harriton girls. Last year, the Rams were 5 -6 in the Central League and finished 6th overall at the Central League Championships.
Runners to Watch: Seniors Amelie Lemay and Charisma Hassan.
Runners Lost to Graduation: Michelle Qin
Coach’s Outlook:
“I think we have a young team and a lot of room for growth over the next few years.” Lower Merion (LM) Boys David VanHouten is the Head Coach of the LM Boys’ Team.
This is Coach VanHouten’s 6th consecutive year as the head coach of the LM Aces.
Last year, the Aces finished 10-1.
Runners to Watch: Senior Joey Litvin, who last year won the Central League Championship and who also qualified for the PIAA AAA State Meet.
Other Runners to Watch: Sophomore Alex Bullard and sophomore Simon Schmieder, whom according to Coach HanHouten were two of the top 9th graders in the Central League.
Runners Lost to Graduation: Charlie Hermann, Nick Rhodes, Benjamin Schmid, and Jasper Lim-Goyette. Coach’s Outlook: “We have a good combination of veteran leadership and young talent. We're hoping to develop and grow as a team throughout the season and be at our best for Central League Champs and Districts.”
LM Girls
The Head XC coach for the LM Girls is Marchelle Else.
This is Else’s first year coaching the Aces, but for 10 years, she coached track and field in Iowa.
Last year, the Aces finished third in the Central League Championships.
Runners to Watch:
Junior Sarah Hurst, a 2-time individual state qualifier. Watch for 3-year varsity letter winner senior Eliza Keefe and 3-year varsity letter winner senior Helena Blobel
Other Runners to Watch:
Junior Sarah Cooke, a 2-year varsity letter winner and newcomer junior Gwen Koziara (11th grade) have been running strong in pre-season as well.
Coach Else said that these XC runners have been running quite well during the pre-season.
Runners lost to Graduation: Christina Peng and Shannon Rudek.
Coach’s Outlook:
“The team is excited and ready to start competing. Their goal is to finish better than our predicted 6th place finish at Centrals. The team is motivated and it will be exciting to watch them continue to develop not only as individual runners but as a cohesive team.”
Merion Mercy Academy
Matthew DiPretore is the Head XC Coach of the Merion Mercy Academy’s Golden Bears.
This is his third year coaching the Golden Bears. Last year, Merion Mercy finished 6th in their league conference championships and 10th at the District 1 AA Championships.
Runners to Watch: Juniors Tess Szathmary and Isabelle Milan. Top newcomers sophomore Claudia Campisciano and freshmen Marianne Cheeley, and Molly O' Dwyer.
Runners Lost to Graduation:
Becca Naser
Coach’s Outlook:
We should be competitive, in the top 5 in AACA conference, with the hope we have a girl qualify for the PIAA State Championships in November.”
