After PIAA title streak ends, North Allegheny cross country looks forward to promising future

By: John Grupp
Saturday, November 9, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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For the first time since 2017, North Allegheny cross country returned from Hershey without a state championship.

But they didn’t come back empty-handed.

“If you get as good as you can, and you fight the whole way and never give up, I’m going to be proud of you,” longtime coach John Neff said. “And I am proud of them. Sometimes the teams you are going against are just good.”

The NA girls saw their streak of six consecutive PIAA Class 3A championships snapped with a third-place finish on Nov. 2. One week after winning the program’s seventh straight WPIAL title, the Tigers, with 125 points, placed behind Haverford (110) and Milton Hershey (119).

The NA boys, who had won four state titles in the past seven seasons, finished 10th, the top WPIAL team, with 268 points. The Tigers had placed second at the WPIAL finals with 90 points, snapping a six-year run as district champ. Norwin (80) won the team title.

“This year the team was the most unified that it’s ever been,” said Notre Dame commit Jack Bertram, who placed sixth at the WPIAL championships. “Even though we didn’t see the results we wanted, we worked hard every day and we kept each other motivated.”

Junior Andrew Peigh, one of only three returning starters from last season, was the WPIAL runner-up in 15 minutes, 37 seconds, and the Tigers’ top finisher at states (31st in 16:34). Seniors Tyler Davis, Anthony Miklos, Jackson Beemer, Sebastian Klimchak and Greg Abel also ran at WPIALs and states.

The NA boys won the Tri-State and Boardman invitationals and claimed another Section 3-3A title, going 7-0 and extending their section winning streak to 35 in a row dating to 2019.

“That was a special group,” Neff said. “Those guys waited their turn and they were ready. It was tremendous. They showed that effort over time will work.”

Bertram, who placed second in the WPIAL and third in the state each of the past two years, hit the tape a disappointing 82nd in his final high school cross country meet. He was hindered for much of the season with joint pain, a side effect of medication he began taking in August.

“That’s really when my running started to suffer a little bit,” said Bertram, on the medication until February. “It really affects … joint pain and stuff. That’s what I’ve been going through.”

Said Neff, “Jack continued to fight and he was able to do what a lot of people would have been unwilling to do.”

The NA girls also faced many obstacles this season. They overcame a handful of first-year varsity runners and a season-long hip injury to Penn State commit Wren Kucler to add more accolades to the program’s crowded trophy case. They placed first at the Tri-State, PIAA Foundation and Red, White & Blue invitationals before breezing to another WPIAL title with 76 points on Oct. 24 at White Oak Park. Norwin was second with 121.

Wake Forest-bound senior Robin Kucler, Wren’s identical twin, placed third in the WPIAL and 25th at states. Seniors Elizabeth Pizon (32nd) and Kendall Lucas (33rd) ran personal bests on the Hershey course, while senior Camille Swirsdin (84th), juniors Teresa Pagnotto (94th) and Elinor Handel (141st) and sophomore Gabriela Pizon (128th) also competed.

“In the end, we didn’t win any state championships this year,” Neff said. “We never talked about championships or end-of-the-season stuff. We always talked about what we have to do to get better today. We’re going to get as good as we can, and we’ll see where that puts us. That’s really all that anybody can ask for, and that’s essentially what happened.”

North Allegheny graduates six of its top seven boys and its top four girls, but with a slew of talented underclassmen awaiting their turn, Neff is confident the Tigers will be back contending for titles again next season.

“I would bet there are 30 guys who think they are going to be one of the guys who will run at Hershey,” Neff said. “And I’ll bet there are almost as many girls who could say the same thing. That’s a tremendous position for a program to be in, and it’s a really good spot to be in as a coach.”

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