Kraus easily captures second consecutive 1A title
A cross country runner from a rival school walked past the finish line as the course clock ticked toward the 13-minute mark in Wednesday’s Class 1A girls race.
“Yo, Virginia should be coming by in about 30 seconds,” the runner joked to his teammates.
Moravian Academy’s Virginia Kraus is creating quite a bit of buzz in the local cross country community. The superb sophomore added a second straight District 11 title to her lengthy list of accomplishments on a warm autumn afternoon on the campus of DeSales University. She cleared her closest 1A competition by a whopping 127 seconds, clocking 18:10 on the 3.1-mile course.
Kraus is now a two-time Colonial League and district champion. She’ll aim to defend her state crown next weekend in Hershey.
“I think I’ve heard a little bit of the buzz,” Kraus said with a shy smile. “It’s good motivation. I feel like, for whatever reason, a lot of people are cheering for me and that’s a great feeling.”
Kraus’ triumphant time in 1A was 63 seconds faster than 3A/Eastern Pennsylvania Conference champion Madelyn McCartney of Emmaus and 134 seconds faster than 2A champion Avery Errico of Wilson.
Last week, Kraus timed 18:05 at the league championships. She said lowering that mark was a goal until temperatures reached 70-plus degrees Wednesday.
“For cross country, because conditions are always so different for races,” Kraus explained, “you have to compare relative effort rather than relative pace because things change every race. If you’re aiming for your same pace goal each race, you’re going to get disappointed in yourself a lot.
“So, I judge how I do on how hard I push myself. I’m pretty happy with how today went.”
Kraus said she’ll focus on her eating, training and overall health for the next nine days. She’ll get in another “tough workout” next week as she prepares for the state championships.
“I’d say I’m feeling pretty good about it,” Kraus said of the possibility of repeating as a PIAA champion.
It’s also extremely likely that Notre Dame-Green Pond will threepeat as state team champions. Coach Art Corrigan’s Crusaders totaled just 30 points in defending their district title. Moravian Academy (61 points) earned a trip to Hershey with its runner-up finish.
Notre Dame took six of the top nine spots, with Katherine Koons (20:17) in second place behind Kraus. Olivia Schweitzer (third),
Brenna Hammerstone (fourth) and Ella Schweitzer (fifth) all finished among the top five in 1A.
“Today was excellent considering the heat and everything,” said Corrigan, the longtime cross country and track and field coach at Notre Dame. “They all ran well. This is the best team I’ve had.”
McCartney, this year’s new No. 1 at Emmaus after the graduation of two-time EPC champ Hailey Reinhard, controlled the pace throughout the Class 3A race.
The sophomore admitted running through the elevated temperatures was a struggle compared to last week’s overcast skies and cooler temperatures for the EPC championships. Still, she timed 19:13 to claim her second postseason title in two weeks.
“The heat played a role in the race today,” said McCartney, who finished third overall as a freshman. “I feel like last week’s race was a lot cooler because of the rain. It was more difficult today.
“This one was pretty big. I think, obviously, districts is the bigger meet so this was really important.”
Freedom’s Avaline Fihlman secured second in 19:42 and Pocono Mountain West’s Kaya Meler took third in 19:51.
The PIAA Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Parkview Course in Hershey.