Oakland Catholic runner overcomes rain and mud in Red, White and Blue Classic

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, September 8, 2018 | 9:00 PM

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Cross country teams from across the state woke up Saturday morning rested and ready to take on the Oakland’s Schenley Park course in the 16th Red, White and Blue Classic.

But once the runners arrived, the conditions of the 3.1-mile course looked more like a Tough Mudder endurance competition than a high school meet.

“I knew it was going to be rainy,” Oakland Catholic senior Hannah Schupansky said. “The rain definitely cooled things down, We’ve been training in extreme heat, and that’s been kind of hard. The parts in the grass were really muddy, especially in the first mile coming down (hill), I was slipping a little bit.”

Schupansky kept her feet long enough to win the girls Class AAA varsity race in 17 minutes, 56.39 seconds. Despite the weather and course conditions of the course, it was Schupansky’s personal best.

“I was really happy, and it was a personal record by one second so I’m really, really happy,” she said.

Fox Chapel’s Sareena Seeger finished second in 18:59.28. Seeger’s teammate, Grace Sisson, came in fifth (19:20.21). North Allegheny’s Hannah Lindgren followed Seeger across the finish line with a time of 19:02.27. Bethel Park’s Emily Carter finished sixth, followed by North Allegheny duo of sophomore Keeley Misutka and junior Caroline Dagget, who finished in seventh and eighth, respectively. Seneca Valley’s Megan Aaron and Mars’ McKenna Bowes rounded out the Class AAA top-10 finishers.

“It definitely boosts my confidence,” Schupansky said. “Last year, in the beginning of the season, I had medical issues that I was working through, and to come back this early and know that I’m feeling good and my times are getting better is a confidence booster.”

North Allegheny senior Zachary Kinne is full of confidence. He finished fourth in Illinois as a junior before moving to Pennsylvania. Kinne had no trouble with the course and put the rest of Class AAA on notice that the Tigers have another standout on their roster. Kinne crossed the finish line in 15:33.52 to earn his first win as a Tiger. Afterward, Kinne talked about the difference between Schenley Park and what he was used to in Illinois.

“It’s a lot different. It’s hilly, hilly, and I’ll definitely have to get used to that and increase my strength portion of my training,” Kinne said. “I’m definitely going to have to mentally get tougher about all of that. Coming from Illinois, where it’s all flat, it’s mostly aerobic training and here in Pa. it’s strength training. I feel a lot better since I first came here.”

Kinne was followed closely by North Allegheny teammate Daniel McGoey, who finished in 15:41.80.

“I have Dan (McGoey), (Luke) Turkovich, Stephen (Nalepa) and everybody else coming behind me, and it’s awesome,” Kinne said. “(McGoey) always pushed me in workouts and races. They’re very talented and very dedicated to the sport.”

Fox Chapel’s Christian Fitch (15:51.39) took third. Mt. Lebanon’s Patrick Anderson (15:51.99) finished fourth ahead of Hilliard Davidson’s (Ohio) Conner Johanssen (15.56.63). Seneca Valley had a strong showing with Sam Owori, Connor Volk-Klos, Seth Ketler placing sixth, eighth and ninth, respectively. Anderson’s Mt. Lebanon teammate, Peter Consentino, rounded out the top 10.

“I’m just trying to adapt as well as I can to this change, and it’s going really well so far because these guys just brought me in and the coaches are very nice,” Kinne said. “It’s been as easy of a transition as it can be.”

Quaker Valley junior Annie Wicker, the 2017 WPIAL champ, took the Class A/AA race in 18:58.16.

“I feel good, and I feel a lot different,” said Wicker. “At the start, I was nervous, but once you start running, you don’t notice it.”

Central Cambria had four runners in the top six. Belle Vernon sophomore Grace Henderson (19:58.50) was fourth. Indiana’s Isabelle McGabe came in seventh, followed by Greensburg Salem’s Sydney Gatons, Quaker Valley’s Ann Cohen and Ambridge’s Leuca Hanish.

“This kind of sets the stage for the rest of the season,” Wicker said. “It felt good.”

Greensburg Salem’s Mark Brown (16:17.56) and Cameron Binda (16:23.31) finished first and second in Class AA, helping the Golden Lions win the team title. Teammate Dylan Binda (16:51.21) took sixth.

Blackhawk’s Jack Aulbach (16:23.56) placed third, followed by Quaker Valley’s Daniel Ford (16:41.81). Indiana had two top-10 runners in fifth-place finisher Joey Bujdos and Matt Berzonskyin seventh. Highlands’ CJ Thomas finished eighth, followed by Central Cambria’s Ohm Vyas and Deer Lakes’ Josh Yourish.

It was all Winchester Thurston in Class A, where Scott Routledge (16:30.64) finished first. Teammates Sean Heitzelman (16:56.92) and Patrick Malone (17:08.72) finished fourth and and seventh, respectively. St. Joseph freshman CJ Singleton finished sixth.

“The course felt good, and I thought it was fine especially with the heavy rain,” Wicker said.

William Whalen is a freelance writer.