Elk Lake’s Kendyl Weisgold finishes ninth overall with a time of 20:18 in the class 1A PIAA state championships in Hershey on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Mid Valley’s Jacob Borrelli finishes 23rd overall with a time of 17:03 in the class 2A PIAA state championships in Hershey on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Delaware Valley’s Grace Holderith finishes 24th overall with a time of 19:34 in the class 3A PIAA state championships in Hershey on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Wallenpaupack’s Aiden Janowicz runs in the class 3A PIAA state championships in Hershey on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Elk Lake’s Kendyl Weisgold finishes ninth overall with a time of 20:18 in the class 1A PIAA state championships in Hershey on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Elk Lake knew it had three top talented runners to contend for a state title.
It also knew in order to bring home the crown, it had to close the time gap between the trio of Kendel Jones, Cody Adams and Parker Upright and Nos. 4 and 5 runners Trevor Upright and Whalen Kinney.
So the coaching staff worked on specific training for those two. Gradually, the time gap narrowed and it all paid off Saturday as the Warriors captured the Class 1A title at the PIAA Cross Country Championships at the Hershey Parkview Course.
“We really worked on pacing,” Elk Lake coach Will Squier said. “The physical abilities were there. We did a lot of individual things with those two boys, especially Whalen. I spent a lot of individual time with him, working on things to help him.”
Kinney would meet early in the mornings with Squier for extra work. It let him know where he had to be at certain parts during the state race.
“I knew what I had to do for the first, second and third mile,” Kinney said. “I felt very confident. It led me to get a pretty good time to help us get what we needed to do.”
He admitted there was some pressure knowing that the difference between winning and losing a state title likely rested on his shoulders.
“But I knew I had to handle it,” Kinney said. “I knew we put in the work. The amount of time I dropped from the beginning of the year to where we are now is phenomenal. I was pretty confident.”
Sure enough, Jones finished second, Adams fourth, Parker Upright sixth and Trevor Upright 26th to put Elk Lake in position. That left it up to Kinney and he came through. He placed 97th in 18:44 — passing several runners before the finish line — to help the Warriors clinch the title.
“Coming up toward the finish on the backstretch, I heard someone say we were down by two,” Kinney said. “So I just started driving. I knew I had to go. My finishes are always good. Coming up on that hill, I was feeling pretty good.”
Their teammates recognized the key role Trevor Upright and Kinney played in winning the title.
“Once Trevor and Whalen realized what they were capable of, they put in more work and worked so hard,” Adams said. “They dropped more time than we did during the year. They did super good.”
Best of the rest
As for the Elk Lake girls, they placed fourth in the Class 1A standings. Considering that the three teams ahead of them were all from District 7 — Shady Side Academy, OLSH and Winchester Thurston — you could say the Lady Warriors were the best of the rest.
Kendyl Weisgold led the way, finishing ninth in 20:18. Madison Kerr placed 32nd (21:16), Kylee Pond was 40th (21:27), Azlyn Gazzillo 86th (22:25), Faith Tracy 118th (22:58) and Chelsea Grosvenor 205th (25:06).
Best thing is they are young and could be a team to contend for a state title in the coming seasons.
“Last year they were eighth, this year they’re fourth,” Squier said. “They ran a solid race. That group of girls is learning how to win at the state level. The front five is four sophomores and one freshman, so they’ve got a couple years to come back. And I’ve got a couple pretty good freshmen that I left down at junior high this year that are going to be coming up. So that team has a future.”
Quite a jump
Last year as a freshman, Jacob Borrelli of Mid Valley admitted he panicked in his first trip to states and finished 199th in Class 2A boys in 19:19.
This year, Borrelli placed 23rd in 17:03 to earn a state medal.
“After about the two-mile mark, my stomach started turning and I kind of was out of it for the next 400 meters,” Borrelli said. “But after that I was like, ‘This is the last race, I have to get going.’ I heard people yelling that I was right there or just outside of a medal. So I was like, ‘Let’s do this. You’ve got to move. Keep going.’ I ended up catching the people I needed to and snuck into a medal spot.
“I definitely could have run faster last year. But it means a lot to not have panicked (this year) and to get a medal.”
Borrelli’s effort, and the 42nd-place finish of Matthew Repecki, helped the Spartans finish seventh in the Class 2A team standings with 202 points.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Borrelli said. “I’m super proud of the boys and the team.”
Fast learner
Grace Holderith’s plan in her first trip to states was to learn the course. The Delaware Valley sophomore proved a quick study, garnering a state medal by finishing 24th in the tough Class 3A girls field in 19:34.
She had her doubts after she got boxed in at the start.
“I just kept at it and was going back and forth between the high 20s and low 30s,” Holderith said. “By the time we had a half-mile left, I had to pass a few girls in order to medal. So I really pushed up that final hill and when I hit the straightaway I still need to pass a couple of girls. I just gave it my all and was able to do it.”
Having Crestwood’s Katie Kozich, who finished 23rd, in the vicinity helped.
“It was my opportunity to find someone to stick with. I knew she was right there with the medals and I knew if I wanted to medal, I had to try my best to get up there with her,” Holderith said. “I did that and it ended up working out.
“This means so much. It made the early mornings in the summer so worth it. I was up some mornings at 4:45 to get my run in. A lot of hard training and it makes me so excited for what’s to come my next two years.”
Best in class
Aiden Janowicz of Wallenpaupack was the top finisher from District 2 in Class 3A boys in 105th place in 17:24. Seamus Wallace of West Scranton was 107th in 17:25.
“I had an illness most of my season unfortunately, so I was just looking forward to getting out here and trying to compete well again,” Janowicz said. “It was great. I felt like I had no pressure on me. It felt easy to be here. I wasn’t worried or nervous. I was just excited to be here.”
Wallace was shooting for a top-50 finish.
“I got out hard, tried to get out front, had issues getting pushed a bit,” Wallace said. “I woke up (Friday) not feeling good. Had a headache and sore throat, so I think I’m a little off physically. But that’s not an excuse. Just wish I did better. It will make me determined for track season.”
Tunkhannock sophomore Madelyn Graves was the top finisher from District 2 in Class 2A girls. She overcame a fall at the start to finish 51st in 20:59.
“Right where it funnels across the road I fell, but I got up real fast and started picking off people,” said Graves, who was 122nd last year in 21:48. “I tried to make as many moves as I could on the hills and really tried to open up on the downhills. That’s where I went wrong last year. I’m really happy I was able to move up a bit.”
They’re the champs
Virginia Kraus took the Class 2A girls title in 17:48 to become the first four-time winner in the history of the PIAA Cross Country Championships. Kraus won her first two titles in Class 1A at Moravian Academy and the last two in Class 2A at Saucon Valley.
Other individual state champs were Maggie Jewell of Mercer in Class 1A girls in 19:28; Madelyn McCartney from Emmaus in Class 3A girls in 18:17; Jonah Montagnese from Quaker Valley in Class 2A boys in 16:00; and Travis Furmanski of Cedar Crest in Class 3A boys in 15:34.
Other team champs were Cathedral Prep in Class 2A girls, Norwin in Class 3A girls, Hughesville in Class 2A boys and North Penn in Class 3A boys.