NEWVILLE — Hempfield’s Ella Wolfe was one of the few Class 3A runners to cross the District Three Girls Cross Country Championships at Big Spring High School on Saturday and remain upright.
The day’s temperatures, which reached the low 80s, wreaked havoc, and the finish area resembled a MASH unit. For Wolfe, who crossed the finish first with a time of 18:00.3, when she walked down the chute, there was only applause, and as she glanced behind her, there was no one.
Greencastle-Antrim’s Claire Paci was 23 seconds behind.
“Today I think I was able to execute based on the heat and the different dynamics,” Wolfe said after her victory. “I think that is because I have so much of that experience of coming up with execution on the spot for triathlons. With three different sports, nothing is ever going to come up 100% perfect, so I think that really helped me today.”
Also finishing atop the 3A heap Saturday was Manheim Township.
The Blue Streaks duplicated the feats of its 2016-17 squads by winning back-to-back district team titles, besting Chambersburg 110-178 this season.
They did so packed together, with Elena Barrall (13th, 19:34.2) leading the way. Ava Shirk (14th, 19:35.7) and Kaila Atteberry (15th, 19:39.3) were the next to cross, followed by Lexie Kauffman (19th, 19:53.2). Riley McGaharen rounded out the Streaks’ top five in 54th at 21:23.
“That is back to back for us,” Township coach Kevin Stover said. “And it says a lot about the group of girls we have.”
Wolfe, whose legs were still fresh once she crossed the finish, started the race quickly, but her goal was to stay in contact with some others in the pack in the first mile and then make a move in the second.
“My second mile is usually the best,” Wolfe said. “So I powered through and then gave everything I had the last mile while focusing on that last half mile,”
Despite going to the top of the podium Saturday, and qualifying for the state meet for a third time, Wolfe will be an underdog next week for the PIAA meet in Hershey, as three WPIAL runners all went sub-18:00 minutes in their championship race.
Wolfe just smiled. She rather likes that, she said.
“I feel like people doubt me a little bit, and don’t understand why, maybe because I wasn’t as good last year?” Wolfe said. “But it feels good to come in as an underdog.”
And she believes her training is also peaking at the right time.
“I just do what my coach tells me to do,” Wolfe said. “He times my training very well. I think we got it down at track too, where my best race was at states. So it’s just learning how to control your energy during the three-month season because if you are running really fast at the beginning of the season, you are not going to run well at state. With states next week I am just going to have fun.”
Individually, six other runners from the Lancaster-Lebanon League qualified for the PIAA meet. McCaskey led the contingent with three — Ruby Garner-Valle (eighth, 19:07.1), Isabella Shertzer (10th, 19:19.5) and Gabrielle Thiry (11th, 19:23.3), who spent some time in the medical tent after.
“It is my last district race ever, and this is my best finish by far,” said Shertzer, who recently committed to Columbia. “I feel like states are going to go well. I had a satisfying finish.”
“I’m glad I finished,” Thiry added. “Luckily I didn’t pass out before the line because I gave everything I had.”
Like Thiry, Ephrata’s Ella Pfautz (21st, 19:59.4) had to be seen by medical personnel after her race, and her finish was nothing but heart. The sophomore stumbled before falling to the ground, then crawled across the finish. Cocalico’s Paige Ressler (22nd, 20:03.5), earned her third consecutive trip to states, as did Warwick’s Ella Hartel (25th, 20:13.7).
Class 2A
Seven runners from the L-L qualified for the state meet and earned medals at Big Spring. Pequea Valley’s Caleigh Vincent (fourth, 20:06.9) led the contingent, followed by Annville-Cleona’s Mackenzie Stellmach (sixth, 20:20), Octorara’s Mya Trotty (seventh, 20:28.2), Manheim Central’s Reagan Ibach (eighth, 20:29.6), Donegal’s Kathryn Fernald (ninth, 20:30.3), Vincent’s Braves teammate Aubrey Ressler (10th, 20:31.6) and Central’s Julie Lindberg (15th, 21:02.9).
“I am really shocked,” Vincent said. “My goal coming in was top 10, so to be in top five is a really big accomplishment.”
Anville-Cleona qualified as a team in 2A, taking third with 138 points.
Class 1A
Lancaster Catholic’s Eden Lin was the top finisher from the L-L (fifth, 21:29.4). Lancaster Mennonite’s Claire Thomas (sixth, 21:43.6) and Olivia Zook (ninth, 22:43.6) also earned medals;
“It feels really great and is a testament to my teammates,” Lin said. “I’m running for them. There were so many people supporting me, and I worked through it.”
Lancaster Catholic just missed a state trip as a team, placing third overall with 64 points.
