The competition was unmatched at the PIAA Cross Country State Championships. Taking place on November 7, 2026 at Big Spring High School, there were around fifteen hundred athletes split up between 6 races. Each gender was split into 3 division races based on school size.
The overall winner of all the girls’ races was Kathryn Froelich, a sophomore from Peters Township, coming in with a blazing time of 17:33. For the boys, Jonah Mantagnese of Quaker Valley finished with a time of 15:02.
District 11 was well represented by some very talented runners. In the 1A races, District Champ Wyatt Hylka of Nativity came in 38th place with a time of 17:11. In 69th, Preston Rex of Bethlehem Christian ran a 17:42. The girl’s district champion, Mikayla Pugh, came in 28th place with a time of 20:34. Ava Bosak of Minersville ran a 21:35 to capture 78th place.
In the 2A races, Logan Gillespie, who also won districts, of Jim Thorpe placed 6th place in 18:39, not far behind, Julie Bonham of Wilson took 8th with an 18:45. Genevieve Dando of North Schuylkill came in 61st with a 20:29. The boy’s district champion, Theodore Wechtler of Saucon Valley, came in 60th with 17:09. Joshua Cathers of Lehighton came a few seconds later, clinching 66th place with a time of 17:14.
During the 3A races, the Liberty girls led district 11. Elizabeth McClarin, who is another district champion, placed 13th with a time of 18:28, her teammates finished not far behind with Katie Drabouski placing 35th in a 19:11 and Cali Sobrinski placing 57th with a 19:34. In the boy’s race, David Hearn of Emmaus placed 5th in a time of 15:36. Parkland’s Colin McGuigan finished in 20th with a 15:56 and his teammate Cole Orloski placing 35th in a 16:10.
It was an exciting day in Newville, Pennsylvania. Congratulations to all runners for qualifying and running at the state level!
