Juniata Cross Country has Solid Performances at the Big Valley Invitational

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: September 3, 2023

Courtesy of Shari Miller

Photo by Kenny Varner

REEDSVILLE – In the boys varisty AA race, Juniata junior Wyatt Stroup led the Indians with a second place finish overall running a time of 16:30. Junior Joey Bomberger came in next with a time of 16:52 for 4th place. Junior Wesley Ehrisman came in 5th place with a time of 17:39. Rounding out the scoring for the Indians was sophomores Ricky Guante with a time of 19:38 for 22nd and Levi Zeiders with a time of 19:47 for 26th place. Freshman Coy Kerstetter cracked the 20:00 barrier in a time of 19:56 and junior Charlie Telfer ran a time of 23:06. Juniata took second as a team behind Bellefonte in AA competition. Juniata had two boys competing in the JV race. Junior and first year runner Teagan Trout led the Indians with a time of 20:19 good enough for 33rd place. Freshman Joel Hardin ran to a 74th place finish in a time of 23:46.

In the girls varsity AA race, Juniata freshman Sylvia Brubaker ran to a 2nd place finish and school record with a time of 19:26. Junior Jessie Bomberger came in next for 21st place with a time of 23:57. Senior Haley Mummah and freshman Hannah Book came in together with a time of 25:41 good enough for 28th and 29th place. Rounding out the scoring for the Indians was freshman Izabella Sanders with a 40th place finish and time of 28:39. Freshman Jordana Steffen ran to a 46th place with a time of 32:28. The girls finished 5th as a team in the AA competition.

In the boys junior high race, first year runner Josiah Barner ran an exceptional race to get 7th place in a time of 10:17. First year runner Sebastian Graff ran to a 59th place finish running a time of 13:20. Alejandro Guante placed 68th in a time of 19:06.

In the girls junior high race, Carolyn Heidenreich led the Indians with her 8th place finish in a time of 10:57. Other Juniata girls taking part in the junior high race were Drue Hoffman in 36th place with a time of 12:33, Ella Zimmerman in 56th place with a time of 13:34, Morgan Ehrisman in 93rd place with a time of 16:48, Genesis Guante in 98th place with a time of 17:30 and Mackenzie Wray in 100th place with a time of 18:19.

Juniata Coach Jeff Miller said “Overall we had a very good day. I have 11 kids that are in their first year, so I got a chance to see where everyone’s fitness level is. In the boys varsity race, Wyatt, Joey, and Wesley looked strong for our top 3. We need to close the gap after that since our 4th and 5th runners are over 2:00 back. I thought freshman Coy Kerstetter looked good breaking 20:00 in his second race. He’s so new to the sport and will only continue to get better and better. Freshman Joel Hardin ran a huge PR in the boys JV race. He’s a great addition to our team and such a pleasure to work with. Teagan switched over from golf this year and is also doing great in his first year. Josiah Barner looked very good in the boys junior high race. He’s a 8th grader that has all the tools to go very far in this sport. He’s very mature for his age and a coach’s dream. Sylvia Brubaker didn’t disappoint in her first high school invitational. I’ve been working with her for a year now, so I know what she’s capable of. To run a 19:26 as a freshman with all the more running miles in her legs just shows how gifted she is. She’s ahead of where I thought she would be today. Senior Haley Mummah showed her leadership today by helping first year runner and freshman Hannah Book to run a huge personal best. She paced Hannah and they both came away happy. Jessie was a little off today, but she’s a fighter, so I know she will be back with better performances. Izabella and Jordana ran very good also. In the girls junior high race, Carolyn Heidenreich looked very good. She’s a huge talent that does several sports and is such a pleasure to work with.”

Juniata will compete against St. Joseph on Wednesday, September 6 in Boalsburg