Leach, Kreis bright spots for Ringgold, Belle Vernon girls
Eleanor Bailey/Almanac
Charlee Leach of Ringgold sprints to the finish line during WPIAL Class AA girls’ cross country championship action. The sophomore finished 12th overall with a time of 20:16.
By Eleanor Bailey/Almanac Sports Editor/ebailey@thealmanac.net
Charlee Leach of Ringgold rounds a turn during WPIAL Class AA girls’ cross country championship action. The sophomore finished 12th overall with a time of 20:16.
Eleanor Bailey/Almanac
Viva Kreis kept a Top 20 pace, finishing 17th overall with a 21:02 time during the WPIAL Class AA girls’ cross country championships.
MCKEESPORT – On an otherwise damp and dreary day, Charlee Leach of Ringgold and Viva Kreis from Belle Vernon provided a ray of sunshine during the WPIAL Class AA girls cross country championships Wednesday at White Oak Park.
Though neither sophomore will be returning to the state championships Nov. 7 in Hershey, both overcame extreme obstacles to place in the Top 20.
Despite taking a spill early in the race, Leach finished 12th overall with a 20:16 time. Her showing helped the Rams place fourth in the team standings with a 139 score behind champion North Catholic (74 points), runner-up Montour (77) and bronze medalist Chartiers Valley (139).
“Right around the first 800 meters, I slipped and fell and got mud everywhere,” said Leach, “but I quickly recovered. So that was good.”
Leach said she “possibly” would have qualified had she not fallen but the tumble did not deflate her.
“It’s going to make me a lot more determined in the future,” she said.
Several circumstances drove Kreis to a 17th finish in 21:02. Her showing helped the Leopards to 15th place in the team standings.
For starters, Kreis felt compelled to pick up the mantle for Grace Henderson, who suffered a stress fracture in practice and was unable to compete. Henderson placed sixth in last year’s competition.
“She’s a senior so I really felt bad for her,” Kreis said. “I felt like I had to pick it up, support my team and fill her shoes. I wanted to step up.”
Tender IT bands prevented Kreis from stepping up completely. For the last three months, she suffered with the syndrome that causes severe knee pain. Kreis was unable to train at full capacity. Yet, she excelled.
“My goal was to give it all I had and do what I could,” she explained.
Had the championships not been held during a pandemic, Leach and Kreis easily would have qualified for the state competition. However, because of COVID-19 restrictions a limited number of PIAA berths were up for grabs.
“This year was a lot harder because there are only seven individuals advancing and only one team going instead of three,” said Leach. “Hopefully, things will be different next year.”
The Rams certainly have a bright future as freshmen Angelina Massey and Angelique Marianna followed Leach in 20th and 23rd positions. Sophomore Matigan Evans posted a 21:55 time for 31st place and freshman Annie Daerr was Ringgold’s fifth runner with a 22:14 mark.
Seniors Andrea Kassa and Kaitlyn Lusk also raced for the Rams.
With four additional seniors, Kaitlyn Keegan, Emma Bellissimo, Ryan Hannan and Mara Shrader, in their line-up, the Leopards will rebuild next season around Kreis and Tessa Rodriguez. The freshman finished in the Top 50 with a 22:20 time.
- In Class A, Mohawk won the team title with 63 points.
- Two area runners finished in the Top 20.
- Fort Cherry’s Mara Whalen was seventh overall with a 20:32 time. Waynesburg’s Kaitlyn Pester placed 17th in 21:19.