Spring Mills — Penns Valley High School hosted the 2013 Mountain League Cross Country Championships, and while the hosts won the girls team title, it was Clearfield’s Claire Mikesell breaking the tape in 20:25 to claim the individual title.
The Clearfield girls were runners-up in the team race by a 38-50 count.
Lady Bison Head Coach John Jacob had this to say about his champion, “Claire Mikesell ran an excellent race tonight against some very tough competition. There were four girls that could have taken the overall championship tonight, but Claire ran down her competition to come away with the victory. At the 2-mile mark Claire took the lead and never looked back. She looked very strong tonight and the hard work she has put in since the summer is really starting to pay off.”
Jacob added praise for the rest of his girls squad, “Kristi Fox ran her personal best time tonight and was able to secure a top-5 finish again this year. That time (21:19) puts Kristi in the hunt for a return trip to the PIAA State Championships. Emily Aveni, Becca Glenny and Emily Hoover also had their best times of the season. Each of the girls have had some very strong practices and they are starting to peak at just the right time this season.”
The Clearfield boys finished in the number three spot, behind champion Bellefonte and runner-up Penns Valley.
Bison Alec Freeman was second overall on the boys side with a time of 17:38.
Jacob also spoke about Freeman and the rest of the boys, “For the boys, Alec Freeman was able to hold off his competition and secure the runner-up position. For the third straight race Alec was able to lower his time. We are looking forward to the District 9 Championships next week to see if Alec can earn a trip to the PIAA State Championships. Logan Gilbert, Jacob Ryan, Kyle Thompson and Malav Patel were also able to lower their season-best times. It was great to see four guys under the 20 minute mark. Coach (Todd) Winters and I are looking forward to seeing how well both teams perform at the District Championships next Saturday.”
Mountain League Championships Girls Results
Penns Valley 38
Clearfield 50
Bellefonte 86
Tyrone 87
Philipsburg 131
BEA No team score
Central No team score
Top 5 finishers :
1. Claire Mikesell C 20:25
2. Jordan Wiser T 20:35
3. Anya Hoaglund B 20:36
4. Alyssa Limbaugh PV 20:43
5. Kristi Fox C 21:19
Other Clearfield Finishers: 13. Emily Aveni 23:04, 14. Becca Glenny 23:10, 17 Emily Hoover 23:51Â
Mountain League Championships Boys Results
Bellefonte 33
Penns Valley 41
Clearfield 75
Central 127
Philipsburg 133
BEA 151
Top 5 finishers :
1. Nick Fuller PV 17:16
2. Alec Freeman C 17:38
3. Zach Moody BEA 17:39
4. Michael O’Donnell B 18:11
5. Brett Finley B 18:16
Other Clearfield Finishers: 15. Logan Gilbert 19:25, 17. Josiah McClarren C 19:35, 20 Malav Patel 19:44, 21. Jacob Ryan 19:47, 26. Shane Graham 20:38, 29. Kyle Thompson 21:10.
