Upper St. Clair runners control fate
The Upper St. Clair cross country team does not alter its approach to running, even as a pandemic rages on.
“We always stress to the athletes that it is important to use their energy and focus on the elements they can control,” said coach Maureen Chermak. “This season may certainly provide them with opportunities to put this concept into practice. We think our team is ready for the challenge.”
The Panthers are preparing for a season like no other as the coronavirus continues to impact practices and races.
Runners are undergoing daily heath screenings, donning face coverings and physically distancing.
Schedules have been adjusted. Races like the Red, White and Blue Classic, Mingo Classic and Tri-State meet are now invitation-only rather than open meets.
The WPIAL championships are still set for Oct. 29 at Roadman Park on the California University of Pennsylvania campus, but only the top eight runners will travel and the top seven will compete.
The PIAA championships are set for Nov. 7 at Foundation Park in Hershey.
“The format and set-up for meets will definitely look different than years past,” said USC coach Doug Petrick. “There’s lots of ways to race and comply with health and safety guidelines. We are in touch with other schools to discuss what makes sense and stresses safety.”
Petrick said teams could do “flights” with racing all the No. 1 runners, then waiting five minutes before sending out another wave of runners with other pauses for the rest of the line-up. Sectional meets such as the one scheduled Sept. 15 against Mt. Lebanon and Chartiers Valley, Sept. 23 against Baldwin and Trinity and Oct. 6 against Peters Township and Bethel Park could just be comprised of sending out the top three athletes from each team at a time.
Petrick said he has been in constant contact with allies from other states that coach and teach.
“They’ve been a great resource in navigating how they are handling race situations,” he said.
Petrick said it’s important to stress “flexibility,’ while remaining focused on health and safety.
“With that said, right now, unless we know otherwise, we are planning for the WPIAL and PIAA championship meets,” he said. “We plan our season around those two races.”
The USC girls cross country team intends on improving upon last year’s third-place showing at the district level. The Panthers also made history by qualifying for the first time as a team for the PIAA championships. USC finished fourth in the team standings in Class AAA.
With three seniors in last year’s line-up, the North Allegheny girls won the WPIAL and state team titles.
Senior Claire Hoffman returns as USC’s top runner. She finished 23rd in the state with a 19:52 time.
Sophomores Jillian Fishell, Molly Maher and Jacqueline Martinelli had top 50 showings at states, all running just over 20 minutes for the 3-kilometer race.
Seniors Sofia Shi and Morgan Meddings are also expected to contribute to USC’s surge to the forefront of the state’s elite teams. Juliana Fiori, Sara Hess, Caroline Knizner and Lucia Niharra are also seniors.
“We have a lot of depth returning from the 2019 team,” Chermak said. “Our seniors have tremendous leadership abilities and talent to set the right tone. The entire girls team took the quarantine as an opportunity to put together strong training blocks and have returned healthy, in great shape, and ready to compete.”
Juniors Ally Fishell, Hanna James, Madeline Navarra and Mia Skeel as well as freshmen Rosemary Ramirez and Lydia Rhodes should contribute to the girls team.
Though the USC boys graduated their top two runners in Alex Shaw, who finished 53rd at states in 2019, and Kasey Turner, who finished 113th in the state a year ago, the team returns senior Ryan Sarkett and junior Robert Shontz, both of whom had top 60 showings at the WPIAL championships.
Sophomore Mahesh Lakshminanaranyan and seniors Joseph Markovitz and Nate Paul are among USC’s other top returning upperclassmen.
The team’s other seniors include Andrew Higgs, Lucas Manalo, Owen Mann, Nolan Mulhern, Timothy Murphy, Max Murtough, Daniel Rieker and Danny Spatz.
The Panthers’ juniors are James Aumer, Carter Gerlach, Cole Jooste, John Kane, Felipe Mola Curi and Troy Belback.
USC’s roster also boasts sophomores Tyler Chojnicki, Jonathan Evans, Hayden Haerr, Brandon Megonnell, Quinton Miller, Evan Sarkett, Scherer John and Ryan Wells as well as incoming freshmen Stepan Engleman, Brett Gardner, Henry Ginsberg, Amav Kumar, Hunter Maher, Jake Polochak, Sawyer Weinmann and Patrick Wherry.
“The boys have a combination of youth and strong leadership and thus far they are creating an environment of positivity and eagerness,” Chermak said. “The extended off-season allowed them to prepare for the tough competition they will face.”
With the green-light given to fall scholastic sports, the Panthers are anxious to run.
“We are excited, having fun and looking forward to the season,” Petrick said. “We are in a competitive section and district, so it’s good to know that whether its a section meet or invite, the team gets a chance to run with amazing teams and athletes on a regular basis.”