Cross Country

There are dynasties, and then there is the Central Cambria girls cross country team. The 2019 Lady Red Devils runners just won the program’s 17th straight Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference (LHAC) title, but the girls are hard at work training for the District VI and PIAA State competitions in the next two weeks.

As the defending PIAA Class-AA State Champions, the girls are striving for a similar level of success this year. The team has already faced many setbacks, including injuries and a decrease in roster size, but the girls have demonstrated a tough resilience in winning all of their meets so far this season.

One of the key questions that the team needed to answer this year was the next wave of young runners stepping up for a successful class of graduating seniors. Freshmen Annaliese Niebauer and Abby George have made very notable contributions to the squad, including racking up third and fourth place finishes, respectively, at the LHAC meet. That freshman tandem has combined with sophomores Stella Kuntz, Faith Wilson, and Abby Walwro to form the core of this year’s currently undefeated lineup. Additionally, junior Jenna Smith and sophomore Marlow Soyka stepped up well and placed in the Top 20 at the LHAC championship meet as well.

The next two hurdles will tell the ultimate tale of the season, though, as the competition will only get tougher on the next two Saturdays. The PIAA District VI Championship meet will be held this Saturday, October 26, on the course of Penn State University in State College. And if all goes right there, the Lady Devils will defend their state title and go for the gold again the following Saturday, November 2, in Hershey.