St. Joseph’s Crusaders earn four medals, capture trophy in back-to-back cross country meets
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FAIRVIEW -- The St. Joseph's Crusaders Run Club turned in two strong performances in early October, earning four medals at the Fairview Jr. Tigers XC Invitational on Oct. 3 before adding an individual trophy and a sixth-place team finish at the MYAA Championships on Oct. 10.
Competing against large fields of elementary school runners in grades K-6, the Crusaders ran in multiple age groups and race distances. Fifteen St. Joseph's runners competed at each meet, with several athletes delivering standout performances.
At the Fairview Jr. Tigers XC Invitational, held Oct. 3 at Fairview Elementary School, more than 700 runners crossed the finish line. Four Crusaders earned medals by finishing in the top 25 of their age divisions.
Caroline McGraw led the team in the one and a half mile race, finishing 14th overall in 10 minutes and 3.2 seconds. She placed ninth among 44 sixth-grade girls.
Ruth Sienkiewicz followed with a 16th place overall finish in 10:12.7, earning second place among 41 fifth-grade girls. Avery Moski also earned a medal, placing 21st overall in 10:24.2 and 14th among 44 sixth-grade girls.
Ajita Sacher rounded out the Crusaders' medal winners, finishing 21st overall in the half-mile race with a time of 3:46.2.
Other St. Joseph's runners also turned in notable performances at the invitational. Mary Bennett finished 39th overall in the one and a half mile race in 11:02.4, while Michael McElhaney recorded his fastest time of the season, finishing in 13:13.5.
Marla Heinrich placed 35th overall in the half-mile race in 4:01.1. Reagan Caldwell finished 44th overall in the one and a half mile race in 11:04.3, followed closely by Scarlett Wymer in 46th place in 11:12.8.
Vansh Sacher finished 58th overall in the one and a half mile race with a time of 10:22.3, placing 12th among 39 fifth-grade boys. Matthew McElhaney completed the course in 13:54.5, while Finnley Horan finished in 12:20.6.
In the shorter races, Mary Anderson completed the mile in 11:14.6. Rose Anderson and Calvin Steber finished the half-mile race in 4:27.1 and 5:26.2, respectively.
The Crusaders returned to competition Oct. 10 at the MYAA Championships at Browns Farm in Fairview, where more than 780 runners in grades K-6 competed.
St. Joseph's sixth-grade girls team finished sixth among 12 qualifying teams, led by McGraw, Caldwell and Lottie Curtis. The team also celebrated an individual trophy earned by Sienkiewicz in the fifth-grade girls division.
McGraw once again led the Crusaders in the grades 4-6 girls race, finishing seventh overall and sixth among sixth-grade girls. She completed the one and a half mile course in 10:58.6.
Caldwell placed 39th overall and 20th among sixth-grade girls in 11:58.0, while Curtis finished 40th overall and 21st in the grade division with a time of 12:04.7.
Sienkiewicz earned the team an individual trophy at the championships, placing fourth among fifth-grade girls. She finished 30th overall in the grades 4-6 girls race with a time of 11:44.6.
Finnley Horan and Shaylee McGraw also represented St. Joseph's in the grades 4-6 girls race, finishing in 13:20.1 and 13:26.6, respectively.
In the grades 4-6 boys race, Gabe Curtis placed 25th among fourth-grade boys with a time of 11:42.5. Michael McElhaney also completed the one and a half mile course, finishing in 14:38.8.
Milo McElhaney led the Crusaders in the K-1 boys half-mile race, placing 16th overall and 15th among first-grade boys in 3:41.8. Reese Worgan finished in 4:58.2, followed by Calvin Steber in 6:06.7.
In the K-1 girls half-mile race, Marla Heinrich recorded a time of 5:12.5, while Rose Anderson followed in 5:12.9.
Mary Anderson competed in the grades 2-3 girls mile race, finishing in 9:45.1. Ben Curtis represented St. Joseph's in the grades 2-3 boys mile race, recording a time of 8:25.2.
The championships also featured a toddler race, with Frankie Anderson, Ronnie Heinrich and Stella Anderson participating.
St. Joseph's will return to competition Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Erie Diocesan Championships at Frontier Park in Erie, with just two meets remaining on the team's cross country schedule.