Fox Chapel cross country pair finishes fifth

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 3, 2018 | 11:03 PM

HERSHEY — Fox Chapel junior Christian Fitch and senior Sarena Seeger took fifth place at the PIAA Class AAA cross country championships Saturday at the muddy Parkview course.

“I just tried to get out fast and maintain like I did all year,” Seeger said. “I tend to run well when I’m in the lead. At the end, I saw a lot of girls that I could catch and pushed it hard at the end.”

They weren’t the only runners from the A-K Valley to earn medals.

Seeger’s teammate, junior Grace Sisson, finished ninth.

“My goal was to medal at states, and to achieve that feels great,” Sisson said. “I’m really happy with that. Getting out fast really helped me.”

Kiski Area senior Kierra Shreffler finished 13th in Class AAA. Riverview sophomore Mason Ochs placed Mason Ochs finished 17th in Class A, and St. Joseph’s freshman C.J. Singleton was 20th.

“I’m very pleased to medal,” Shreffler said. “I didn’t think I’d medal, but anything was possible.

“I didn’t know what to expect with the change in the course. But it ended up working out really well.”

Said Ochs: “I’m pleased with my race. Any medal would have been fine. My goal was top 25.”

Ochs said he got boxed in during the first mile, but he did damage on the hills and made up ground.

Singleton said he needs to pick up his practice routine.

“It’s a big accomplishment for me, but it’s just the beginning,” Singleton said. “I just want to keep on moving up the next few years. This was a good experience, and I want to build on this.”

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.