All Decade Team: 70-51

So if memory serves, we were at #70. Feel free to check out 101-86 and 85-71 for further proof.

70. Greg Kareis, Red Lion, Class of 2008
PIAA States: 7th (16:12), 32nd, 29th
District Three: 2nd (16:57), 3rd (16:18),  11th (16:32)
Footlocker Northeast Regional: 34th (16:17)
YAIAA: 1st (16:02),  1st (16:28), 2nd (16:03)
Carlisle: 15:39 (1st), 16:16 (13th), 16:24 (15th)
Greg is another member of the three times top fifty club, having cracked the top 32 at states all three seasons. He won back to back YAIAA championships and was 2nd as a sophomore to only Jon Grey. One of Kareis’s best races of his career occurred in front of my eyes at the 2007 Carlisle Invitational when Greg clocked a 15:39 to win the challenge section. Kareis also placed 7th at states his senior season, the top mark of anyone outside of District One. The run was even more impressive when you consider the District 3 meet was pushed to Monday that year due to rain. In sloppy conditions, Kareis ran hard enough for 2nd at D3 before turning around five days later on the same difficult Hershey course to take on the best runners in the state. He followed that performance with a 34th place finish at Footlocker Regionals.

69. Kent Hall, Unionville, Class of 2016
PIAA States: 11th (16:05)
District One: 8th (15:46)
Nike Northeast Invitational: 6th (16:01)
Nike Cross Nationals: 32nd (15:40)
Ches-Mont: 2nd (16:09)
Kent Hall. When analyzing the guy’s resume, I really can say there is nothing like it (trust me, I’ve gone through a lot of resumes). During the regular season, Hall had plenty of strong races (2nd at Ches-Monts being one of the highlights), but he certainly didn’t seem like a dominant presence along the lines of Brophy and the Hoeys. He finished a strong 8th at districts and 11th at states to put him the top tier of his class in his first year of XC here in PA. If his season ends then, he quite frankly doesn’t make this list.

But his season did not end there. At the Northeast Regional meet, Hall finished tops for PA, taking 6th place in 16:01, the same time as PA great Max Kaulbach. That qualified Hall as the last individual for Nike Nationals. Out in Portland, things didn’t slow much for Hall. He went out West and finished 32nd at the National meet, the third best finish PA has ever had at the championships. Trying to balance these two pieces of his season for ranking purposes was tricky, but ultimately I decided that representing PA on the national scene (and representing PA well might I add) was a very important piece to the puzzle so in the end Hall makes it up fairly high on the all-decade list.

68. Zach Brehm, Carlisle, Class of 2015
PIAA States: 9th (16:03), 10th (16:20), 34th
District Three: 3rd (16:18), 2nd (16:09), 8th (16:52)
Carlisle Invitational: 15:23 (1st), 15:28 (1st)
Mid Penn: 3rd (16:08), 2nd (16:17), 7th
Spiked Shoe: 16:13 (4th), 15:46 (1st)
Salesianum: 1st (16:38)
Brehm’s track exploits are the stuff of legend at this point, but his versatility stretched nicely into cross country as well. As a sophomore, Brehm cracked the top 10 at districts and Mid-Penns before making his first appearance in the top 50 at states. The next two seasons, he handled the District 3 double to perfection and took 10th and 9th in consecutive seasons, running 16:03 in his final XC race at Hershey. In the last decade there have been just 24 two-time top ten finishers at the PIAA state championships.  What is perhaps most impressive about Brehm’s career is his two wins at the Carlisle Invitational. As a Carlisle athlete, Brehm always had a little extra spark for this race and that allowed him to win twice over loaded fields, both times under 15:30 on the lay out. He’s the only runner in the decade to clock two sub 15:30s and holds mark #3 and #T-5 over the last 10 seasons.

67. Connor Harriman, Pennsbury, Class of 2013
PIAA States: 8th (16:04), 10th (16:21)
District One: 7th (15:36), 8th (15:52), 21st (16:10)
Footlocker Northeast Regionals: 33rd (16:29)
Suburban One National: 3rd (15:57), 1st (16:00)
Viking: 15:45 (1st), 15:52 (6th)
Foundation: 16:23 (1st), 16:40 (2nd)
For the majority of my high school career, the Pennsbury boys were a non factor in cross country. My sophomore year, North Penn took 1st in the conference and Pennsbury took last and it wasn’t even close. But as Connor Harriman and Sam Webb came along, Pennsbury began to consistently improve as a team. In Harriman’s sophomore season, he placed 21st at the District Championships and then, as a junior alongside freshman Sam Webb, helped begin to put Pennsbury on the map as both he and Webb qualified for states (Harriman finished 8th in the District). At states, Harriman proved he had a real knack for running the Hershey course and finished 10th overall at the meet. Overall, Harriman compiled a nice list of marks on the Parkview course, finishing 2nd and 1st at Foundation as well finishing 10th and 8th at states in back to back years (posting a best time of 16:04). He had a blistering kick that he utilized off the final hill, unleashing it in particularly spectacular ways while at Pennsbury.

66. Matt Kacyon, Whitehall, Class of 2011
PIAA States: 8th (16:09), 17th (16:29)
District Eleven: 1st (16:09), 1st (16:22), 4th (15:54)
Footlocker Northeast Regional: 19th (16:19)
Foundation: 16:25 (1st), 16:20 (1st)
Matt Kacyon is one of District Eleven’s best kept secrets. Before Colin Abert came along, Kacyon was the big man on campus in the Lehigh Valley. He won back to back district titles to pair with back to back foundation meet titles. At the state meet, he held his own again, taking 17th and 8th over his final two seasons, the 8th place finish coming in an absolutely studly field out front. He proved just how strong that field was when he traveled to the difficult Footlocker Regional Meet at Sunken Meadow and finished 19th overall in 16:19. He helped a PA team place 7 runners in the top 20 overall at the Regional championships (without Wade Endress at NXN or Ryan Gil who finished outside the top 20). It was a pretty remarkable year.

Kacyon was known early in his career for his tendency to take races out hard and, after clocking a sub 16 mark at districts as a sophomore, he blazed out to the lead at states like Colin Abert did at the same age. Unlike Abert, Kacyon didn’t hold on, but he learned a lot from that race, matured and helped become a consistent strong runner who excelled on the Hershey course.

65. Nick Crits, Wissahickon, Class of 2008
PIAA States: 5th (16:07), 27th,  48th
District One: 5th (15:26), 46th (16:07), 35th (16:13)
Team (States): 3rd (3)**
Team (Districts):  4th (3)**
Footlocker Northeast Regionals: 55th (16:28)
Suburban One American: 1st (15:46), 1st (15:58)
Viking: 15:40 (3rd), 16:02 (5th)
Abington: 15:48 (1st), 16:14 (1st)
Foundation: 16:21 (2nd)
Rose Tree: 15:47 (2nd), 15:50 (2nd)
I just put this out there right off the bat to get my biases out in the open: Nick Crits and I have the same birthday (two years apart). It’s one of the proudest achievements of my life. As a frosh and sophomore in the Suburban One American conference, Crits was one of the best runners I was able to watch in my early years and his finishing kick made him an entertaining racer. Considering Crits was able to handle some really strong Upper Dublin runners (Joe Dorris, Mike Palmisano) on the courses and the track, he had a natural sense of invincibility for a young high schooler like myself. He won the league title in both 2006 and 2007.

But Crits stretched his ability past just the suburban one league. He finished 2nd at the first ever Foundation meet and amassed three straight top 50 finishes at the state meet, ending with a 5th place showing his senior season. He ran 15:26 at Lehigh’s course in his final district meet but also clocked a 15:48 at Abington and a 15:40 at Viking. His sophomore season, Crits was a strong contributor on a Wissahickon team that was an impressive 3rd at the state meet as well.

64. Chuck Lockwood, Dallastown, Class of 2010
PIAA States: 4th (16:04)
District Three: 1st (16:36), 7th (16:41), 15th (17:47)
Team (Districts): 3rd (1)
Footlocker Northeast Regionals: 19th (16:31), 50th (16:35)
YAIAA: 1st (15:48), 1st (16:35)
Carlisle: 15:30 (3rd)
Big Spring: 16:19 (1st)
Ranking Dallastown's Chuck Lockwood forced me to weigh peak performance vs. lasting impact on the state scene. Lockwood cracked the top 50 at states just once (his senior season) and, with the exception of an impressive 50th place finish at regionals his junior season (better than his finish at states), Lockwood was basically completely off the radar. But building off a strong track season, Lockwood entered the 2009 XC season ready to make noise: and he succeeded. In 2009, prior to regionals, Lockwood only lost to PA's 3 Footlocker Finalists (Brad Miles, Rad Gunzenhauser and Ryan Gil). He ran 15:30 at Carlisle and clocked a 15:48 to win his second straight YAIAA title. He dominated the D3 scene and took the district title in Hershey with relative easy. Then, Chuck turned around and finished 4th at states, overcoming the D3 curse and running a quick 16:04 on the lay-out. He backed it up one more time at FL Regionals, finishing 19th overall at Sunken Meadow and helping the PA squad win the regional title as the team’s 5th man.

63. Logan Steiner, North Allegheny, Class of 2012
PIAA States: 5th (16:14), 13th (16:22), 25th (16:42)
District Seven: 1st  (17:04), (5th (15:54)
District Ten: 2nd (17:39**), 3rd (17:27***)
Team (States): 3rd (1), 1st (2)
Team (Districts): 1st (1), 1st (2)
Footlocker Northeast Regional: 26th (16:23*)
Nike Northeast Regional: 17th (16:36)
Tri-State: 16:33 (1st), 16:08 (5th)
Red, White and Blue: 15:50 (5th), 15:58 (7th)
Carlisle: 16:13 (5th), 16:17 (11th)
1st Frosh/Soph Race at Footlocker Regionals
Steiner’s career stretches across two districts. As a freshman and sophomore at Meadville, Steiner was 3rd and 2nd at the D10 championships, translating that into a 25th place finish at states his sophomore year. After that race, Steiner moved to North Allegheny high school and helped elevate that North Allegheny squad to state title favorites. With Ryan Gil in and out of the lineup, Steiner had to step up into a leadership role. He answered the call. Steiner ran 16:08 for 5th in a loaded field at Tri States and, even with Gil returning to action, ran a 15:54 for 5th at WPIALs to help the Tigers usurp the talented Baldwin squad giving them chase. At states, a 13th place finish for Steiner (his second straight medal) essentially clinched the title for NA.

As a senior, Steiner’s North Allegheny team was written off in the early season as contenders with the emergence of Mount Lebanon. The Tigers were fairly young and inexperienced outside of Steiner and there was a new influx of talent in District Seven. But Steiner was unphased, he won Tri-States and Districts (in sloppy conditions) and, in a seemingly overnight transformation, helped the Tigers win a surprise WPIAL title in dominant fashion. The team proved it was no fluke when they took 3rd at states the next weekend, barely missing out on a state title in what proved to be an unpredictable finish. Steiner led the squad with a 5th place finish, his third straight state medal, each one better than the one before it. Surprisingly, that NA team opted for regionals (something the program rarely has decided to do this decade) and finished as PA’s top team (over state champs North Penn) led again by Steiner and his 17th place finish in the meet.



62. Jack Macauley, North Penn, Class of 2013
PIAA States: 6th (16:02),  17th (16:26)
District One: 5th (15:28), 22nd (16:15), 11th (15:59)
Team (States): 1st (1)*
Team (Districts): 3rd (3)*, 2nd (1)**
Suburban One Contiental: 2nd (16:13), 3rd (15:58)
Briarwood: 16:11 (7th)
Salesianum: 16:25 (1st), 16:52 (3rd)
After Sam Bernitt and Brad Miles graduated North Penn in 2010, the last ties to North Penn’s back to back state titles in 2008-2009 were gone. However, that team’s leaders left a precedent for their younger teammates to follow. As a sophomore during the fall of 2010, Jack Macauley rose to the challenge, clocking a 15:59 to place 11th at districts and lead North Penn to 2nd in the district. A year later, with most of their key pieces returning, North Penn set their goals on state gold, but things got off to a rocky start. The team was clearly still talented, but they struggled to live up to their high goals in the early season. Focusing on hills all season, North Penn finished just 3rd at districts but had confidence headed into the state championships. After a disappointing finish at districts, Macauley turned it on for the state championships and pushed himself to 17th overall, giving his team a scorer in the medals. Every point proved to be important as Macauley led North Penn to a narrow state championship victory. As a Senior, Macauley adjusted well to the loss of two of his top teammates in Chris Trimble and Dan Davis and still produced a very sick 16:25 at Salesianum and a 15:28 at Districts for 5th. After leading a section of the deep race at states, Macauley finished in 6th place overall with a time of 16:02.  


61. Dominic Deluca, Dallas, Class of 2014
PIAA States (AA): 1st (16:21), 11th (16:44), 48th (AAA)
District Two (AA): 1st (15:53), 2nd (18:45), 3rd (AAA)
Footlocker Northeast Regionals: 20th (16:15.1)  
PTXC: 15:43 (1st), 16:07 (2nd)
Gettysburg: 16:09 (5th)**
Foundation: 16:53 (3rd)
Dominic Deluca cracked the top 50 at states on three separate occasions in two different divisions, finishing 48th his sophomore year in AAA before grabbing a pair of medals in AA. Deluca had considerable success at the PTXC invitational where he grabbed silver as a junior and crushed the course in a winning effort as a senior. Dominic proved to be too much to handle in the AA scene his senior season as he dominated the division and won the state title despite setting out at a suicide pace through the opening mile (sub 4:40 I believe, which is one of the fastest opening miles in course history). His 16:21 doesn’t measure up with some of the other all-time best marks, but he proved that he was a worthy state champion at the Footlocker Northeast Regional meet at the end of the month, impressing with a 20th place finish overall.


60. Gus McKenzie, Germantown Friend’s School, Class of 2010
Independent States: 1st (16:21), 2nd (16:10), 7th (16:32)
Team (Independents): 1st (1), 1st (1),  1st (4),  1st (7)
Nike Northeast Regional: 12th (16:20), 33rd (17:01), 27th (17:03)
Team (Regionals): 2nd (1), 5th (3**)
Nike Nationals: 48th (15:51)
Team (Nationals): 21st (1)
Manhattan: 13:02 (25th), 12:52.67 (18th)
Paul Short: 15:46 (8th)*
During McKenzie’s high school career, he won four straight independent state titles as a member of the GFS team. Sure, winning independent states isn’t the same as say winning the AAA state title, but GFS throttled their competition four straight years and McKenzie is the only man to get all 4 titles of the era (and might be the only one to get 4 state titles in the decade). The only runner with four years of sustained team success that comes to mind would be Ryan Gil of North Allegheny, an all time great. McKenzie was the top runner on the teams that won titles in 2008 and 2009 and finished 2nd and 1st in the independent league those years. In GFS’s last big race, Gus took center stage for the squad and notched a 12th place finish in the Northeast Regional to help his team surprise for 2nd in the region and qualify for nationals. At nationals, he joined a rare club, cracking the top 50 overall finishers. McKenzie and the GFS squads were often left underrated because they did not get to race many PIAA teams, but the Gus led GFS team of 2009 defeated a loaded field including state champs Henderson and state 3rd place finishers LaSalle en route to their Nationals bid, making a strong case that they were PA’s top overall team that season.

59. Joe Bevierdige, Bishop McDevitt, Class of 2009
PIAA States: 1st (16:18), 1st (16:31), 21st (16:36)
District Three: 1st (16:42), 1st (17:09), 2nd (16:38)
Footlocker Northeast Regionals: 40th (16:28)
Mid Penn: 1st (16:16), 1st (16:39), 3rd (16:41)
Paul Short: 15:41 (6th)
Carlisle: 16:17 (4th), 16:05 (7th)
Gettysburg: 16:14 (3rd), 16:14 (2nd)
There are a few runners lucky enough to win one state championship. When Joe Beveridge hung up his spikes he had two. Beveridge’s most important three races of the season were Mid Penns, District Threes and States and both his junior and senior seasons he won all three. His senior year, he absolutely dominated a AA field that included multiple future stand outs in Alfredo Santana and Jim Spisak. Beveridge has strong races in loaded fields at Paul Short and Carlisle as well, ultimately earning him PA athlete of the year honors in the All-State polls.


58. Dan Savage, O’Hara, Class of 2013
PIAA States: 10th (16:06), 4th (16:13)
District Twelve: 4th (16:21), 2nd (16:04), 8th (16:53)
Team (States): 2nd (2), 2nd (1), 3rd (4)
Team (Districts): 1st (3), 1st (1), 1st (4)
Nike Northeast Regional: 15th (16:21)
Team (Regionals): 2nd (1)
Nike Cross Nationals: 36th (18:00)
Team (Nationals): 5th (1)
PCLs: 1st (15:56), 2nd (15:56), 6th
Briarwood: 16:07 (6th), 16:09 (3rd)
Foundation: 4th (16:41), 7th, 7th
Rose Tree: 1st (15:47), 1st (16:21), 4th (16:31)
Although it’s his last name, I don’t necessarily think of Dan as a savage racer. He wouldn’t rip through fields or produce one single jaw-dropper, but he consistently delivered on a variety of courses. And his three key years on varsity, his team’s finished 3rd, 2nd and 2nd at states with three district titles. His senior season, the team finished 2nd at Northeast Regionals and a legendary 5th at nationals, with Savage as the front man on both occasions. He cracked sixteen minutes two straight years at Belmont with a variety of sub 16:10 marks on the hilly lay-out. He won back to back DELCO titles and, most people forget, finished 4th in the 2011 state championships. The 2011 race and the 2012 National Championships (where Savage finished 36th overall) proved that in wild and sloppy conditions, Savage could keep a cool head and deliver under pressure.  


57. Tyler Jones, CB West, Class of 2008
PIAA States: 4th (16:06), 16th (15:58), 15th (16:18)
District One: 3rd (15:21), 15th (15:40), 20th (16:03)
Steel City: 16:23 (3rd)
Viking: 15:22 (2nd), 15:58 (4th)
CB West’s Tyler Jones amassed three straight state medals among a class of excellent athletes. His senior season, in a race that included four future Footlocker Finalists in the top 10, Jones placed 4th overall. It came just a week after Jones clocked 15:21 to finish 3rd in the loaded District One Championships. Jones may be most remembered for his battles with a cross town rival, CB East’s Josh Izewski. The two went neck and neck on a variety of marquee races, finishing neck at neck at their league championships and directly next to each other at back to back state championships.


56. Chris Kazanjian, Penncrest, Class of 2015
PIAA States: 6th (16:08), 20th (16:26)
District One: 3rd (15:22), 9th (15:44)
Footlocker Northeast Regional: 41st (16:30)
Rose Tree: 15:56 (1st), 16:02 (2nd), 16:25* (3rd)
Viking: 15:45 (2nd)
Abington: 15:41 (2nd)
Chris and his brother Matt developed into an excellent 1-2 punch for Penncrest over their years in high school. As juniors, both runners finished in the top 50 at states, with Chris putting on an impressive finishing surge to grab 20th place overall. As seniors, they led the team to a spot in the state championships and contended for a spot in the top 10 as a squad. Chris, individually, was close to unstoppable in his senior year. He won the Central League title in 15:56, one of the fastest times in meet history, and added a 15:22 for 3rd at Districts behind two legendary runners in their best seasons (Tony Russell and Ross Wilson) and then clocked a 16:08 for 6th at states. At regionals, he struggled a bit to match his peak performances from districts and states, but still cracked the top 50 individuals, running to 41st place. Kazanjian finished his career with two top 10 finishes in district one and two top twenty finishes at the state championships. He consistently showed up for the two biggest meets of the season and is a deserved member of a spot on this list.
 55. Ethan Martin, Fox Chapel, Class of 2014
PIAA States: 17th (16:25), 5th (16:00), 40th
District Seven: 2nd (16:20), 2nd (16:04), 6th (17:26)
Tri States: 1st (16:34), 4th (16:06), 7th (17:03)
Red, White and Blue: 15:35 (3rd), 15:35 (2nd), 16:05 (11th)
Pitts CC: 16:07* (2nd)
Ethan Martin and his twin brother Colin were two of the best runners the WPIAL has ever seen. Ethan cracked the top 50 at states three straight seasons, most notably finishing 5th behind 4 future national finalists at 16:00 during his junior season. He also finished 2nd at WPIALs back to back years, losing to Brent Kennedy his junior year and his brother Colin as a senior. Despite some injury issues during his senior season, Ethan still clocked a 15:35 at RWB, took gold at Tri-States and finished 17th at states. Ultimately, EMart’s career ended with it’s fair share of “What Ifs” (especially on the track, where he had won the 3200m as a junior) and the fact that he never competed at a regional meet like his brother hurts his case a bit, but Ethan is still one of PA’s best.

54. Isaac Dunkleburger, Tamaqua Area, Class of 2007
States (AA): 2nd (15:54), 1st (15:54), 8th (16:42), 33rd
District Eleven (AA): 1st (16:12), 1st (15:44), 1st (15:50), 2nd (16:58)
Team (Districts): 1st (1), 1st (1), 1st (1)
Footlocker Northeast Regionals: 45th (16:20.1)*
Centaur: 16:34.9 (2nd), 16:05.3* (1st)
Schuykill League: 1st (15:40), 1st (15:29), 1st (15:44)
In 2005, the AA state meet was set to be the Jake Walker show. The dominant figure in western PA XC was ready to roll on the Hershey course, but he went out too fast in the early going and left himself vulnerable to the field. As he slowed, a little known junior from Tamaqua Area rose to chase the throne. Isaac Dunkleburger pulled off the upset in 2005 by winning the state title from Walker and Lucas Zarzeczny at Hershey. Although Dunkleburger did not follow it up as a senior, he still impressed with a district title (individually and team), a league title and a runner up finish at the Centaur Invitational. In his four years at the D11 AA championship, he grabbed three golds and a silver individually and added three straight district titles as a team (in dominant fashion).

53. Juris Silenieks, North Hills, Class of 2011
PIAA States: 11th (16:15), 13th (16:27),46th***
District Seven: 2nd (15:37), 4th (16:01), 9th (16:36***)
Footlocker Northeast Regionals: 11th (15:50)
Tri-States: 1st (15:39), 5th (16:21), 6th (16:17)
Red, White and Blue: 15:41 (6th), 15:57 (7th)
Pitts CC: 15:56 (3rd), 16:08 (3rd)
In 2011, North Hills unleashed a three-headed monster on the state unlike anything that I had ever seen before or since. But the North Hills trio’s story started well before that season. As a freshman, Juris Silenieks, alongside fellow frosh Joe Kush, made a name for himself in a loaded WPIAL. He finished 9th at his first ever district championship and then 46th as a freshmen at the state championships. He and Kush are two of just four freshmen who cracked the top 50 in AAA states this decade. After a bit of a down sophomore season, Juris retooled for his junior year and recaptured the magic. He took 4th at Tri-States, 4th at WPIALs and then 13th at states for his first ever state medal.

His piece of the epic North Hills trio season included a 15:56 at Pitts CC (where the school took 1-2-3), a 15:39 victory at Tri-States (where the school took 1-2-3) and a 15:37 runner-up mark at WPIALS (where the school took 1-2-3). He was running right with Zach Hebda, eventual 4th place finisher at states, in each of those races at Coopers but ended up falling to 11th at Hershey. However, Juris rallied his teammates to continue to train in hopes of achieving something magical at Sunken Meadow. In the race, North Hills combined for 3 runners in the top 13, with Juris taking the dreaded spot of 11th at the meet, just inches from the national championships. He is one of just two members of the top 55 who never cracked the top 10 at a state championship, due to his impressive overall resume.

52. Josh Izewski, CB East, Class of 2008
PIAA States: 3rd (16:05), 15th (15:58)
District One: 7th (15:33), 13th (15:39), 17th (15:59)
Footlocker Northeast Regionals: 31st (16:13), 31st (16:01)
Paul Short: 15:31 (3rd)
Steel City: 16:23* (4th)
Viking: 15:18 (1st), 15:48 (1st)
Izewski split time with swimming for a large chunk of his career, but once he fully committed himself to distance running, things really started to take off. His junior season he ran 15:39 at districts and added a 15th place finish at states before notching a 31st place finish at the Footlocker Regional. His senior year, he burst out the gates, ready to compete for greater glory. Izewski clocked a mind-blowing 15:18 in the opening meet at the (very fast) Viking course, a course record time. At states, mixed it up with the front pack of Footlocker Finalists, including Mark Dennin and Chris Aldrich, settling for a well earned 3rd at the state championships.


51. Will Kellar, West Chester Henderson, Class of 2010
PIAA States: 6th (16:18), 2nd (16:18), 17th (16:29)
District One: 3rd (15:48), 4th (15:29), 17th (15:47)
Team (States): 1st (1), 2nd (6***)
Team (Districts): 1st (1), 4th (1), 3rd (6***)
Nike Cross Regionals: 25th (16:36)
Ches-Mont: 1st (16:06), 1st (16:08), 5th (16:17)
Manhattan: 12:58.31 (20th), 12:52.83 (1st)
Carlisle: 17th (16:35)
Will Kellar amassed three individual state medals and added a couple team medals to his total as well for a historic West Chester Henderson program. In 2008, Henderson qualified for the state championships with a team made up entirely of underclassmen. Kellar, as the only runner with state qualifying experience, set the tone for the team’s first appearance with a 2nd place overall finish. It marked the second straight year that Henderson had the silver medalist. A year later, Kellar and his teammates returned to try and get the state title back in the building for the first time since the early 2000s. Will rallied a team that was not just strong out front, but also deep, sending a variety of runners into the top fifty at states. They needed every point to win a tightly contested battle with North Allegheny and LaSalle, but in the end Henderson left with team golds. It set the stage for the team’s behind them that would combine for district titles from 2009 to 2013.

2 comments:

  1. This is an awesome detail of information, looking forward to seeing the rest of the list.

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  2. I believe Kent Hall might be too high on the list. He was pretty much under the radar until he placed 11th in states. His last two races were incredible but I'm one who looks for consistency in season/career. Case in point, Jaxson Hoey had a tough regional/national. I would not penalize him for that since he was remarkably consistent throughout his career. I made the same point with Berman/Bernitt and Magaha. One bad race should not define their career. Anyway, I respect your ranking and I know it’s tough. Keep up the great work.

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