Riverview, Plum cross country teams set for WPIAL championship meet

By: Michael Love
Saturday, October 18, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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All of the invitationals and dual meets are over and the training runs are coming to an end as the Riverview and Plum cross country teams gear up for Thursday’s WPIAL championships at White Oak Park.

The Raiders and Mustangs have competed at White Oak several times already this season — Plum just last Thursday at the Tri-State Coaches Association meet — and have developed a strategy going into the top WPIAL race of the season.

Plum will take to the course first with the Class 3A races at 1 and 1:45 p.m., and Riverview runners will help close out the day with the Class A races at 3 and 3:45 p.m.

The top four finishing teams in Class A boys and girls and the top three in Class 3A boys and girls will qualify for the PIAA championships in Hershey on Nov. 1. Also, a maximum of 20 individuals for Class A and 15 for Class 3A who are not on one of the qualifying teams will earn berths to states.

Riverview

The Raiders’ boys and girls teams each finished second in the team standings at last Wednesday’s 11-team Beaver Invitational at Brush Creek Park. Host Beaver won both team titles.

It was a strong test for the Riverview runners who have battled through dual meets and invitationals throughout the season.

The boys team was without freshman Ben Radelet at Beaver as he continued to recover from an injury suffered in soccer.

Junior Ashton Saunders placed second in the boys’ race at Beaver with a time more than 30 seconds faster than on the same course last year.

He has placed in the top five in each of the Raiders’ last five invitationals: second at Bald Eagle (at White Oak), third at the Section 4-AA/A meet at Northmoreland Park, first at Malone, Ohio, and third at the Kiski Area Invitational at Northmoreland.

“Ashton is having a phenomenal year,” Riverview coach Palma Ostrowski said.

“Last year, Ashton had a chance to train with three state medalists — Chris Barnes, Holden Deasy and Micah Ivy. The coaches weren’t sure what to expect this year, but he has elevated himself to times that compare favorably not only to last year’s seniors but also past Riverview PIAA top 10 performers Ben Barnes and Mason Ochs, and track state champ, Amberson Bauer.”

The boys team has finished in the top three at WPIALs 10 straight seasons with three championships, five runner-up finishes, and a pair of third-place finishes.

Pennsylvania Milesplit has the team ranked seventh in the WPIAL heading in the championships.

Ostrowski said the stretch goal for the team is a top-five finish with Saunders and sophomore Oscar Smith landing in the top 15.

“While single-A boys is not as strong at the top as last year with Riverview (WPIAL champ, PIAA runner-up) and Winchester Thurston (WPIAL runner-up, PIAA champ), there is much more depth,” she said.

Ostrowski said it was harder to know what to expect on the girls side.

“With four dual-sport athletes and a key injury (senior Grace Johnson) in the top seven, the girls have not had a single race all year where all seven participated,” Ostrowski said.

“Despite that, the team has been getting healthy and focused.”

The team also earned a runner-up finish at Bald Eagle. The current PA Milesplit WPIAL rankings has Riverview at No. 5 with Shady Side Academy, OLSH, and Winchester Thurston favorites to lock down PIAA berths. Ostrowski said the Raiders have a good shot at a team berth.

Three of the dual-sport girls — Hannah Hudack, Catie Hoolahan and Juliette Brun — were set to play in a WPIAL Class A first-round soccer match on Tuesday.

Riverview’s No. 5, Saraya Sanderson-Bey, also a member of the volleyball team, didn’t run at the Beaver Invitational.

Plum

The Mustangs boys and girls teams hoped to build momentum for next week’s WPIAL meet with a preview of sorts last Thursday at Tri-States on the same White Oak course.

“There’s a lot of strategies teams employ as a preview for WPIALs,” Plum coach Brent Kennedy said.

“We’ve always tried to keep things simple with our approach. Anytime we put on the uniform, we want to run hard. The message for both teams was to run well at Tri-States and set the tone for WPIALs.”

Plum was permitted 12 girls and 12 boys runners to enter the Tri-State meet, and Kennedy said it would be a good look to see who would secure spots in the top seven for WPIALs.

“It is a good problem to have as we have a pretty competitive and deep team on both sides,” Kennedy said.

“The big thing for us heading into WPIALs is that we’re healthy. There are always the bumps and bruises, but knock on wood, there isn’t anything that is holding any of them out. That is really awesome for this time of the year.”

Kennedy said he will be taking relatively young teams to WPIALs. Only one senior boy was in the Plum lineup for Tri-States.

“While we are looking short term for what we can do at WPIALs, we are also looking long term and how we can keep moving the program forward for next year. I am really pleased with the efforts all season from both teams, and I am excited to see how things will play out (at WPIALs).”

Senior Mayah Torres led the Plum girls at WPIALs last year with a 68th-place finish in the Class 3A girls race. She hopes to improve on that mark Thursday at White Oak and also hopes to build on a runner-up finish (20:15.70) at the Section 4 championships Oct. 1 at Northmoreland.

Freshman Addison Diano (14th at Section 4) and junior Maura Smith (21st) also will help lead the Plum girls at WPIALs.

Junior Brady Sciullo fronted the Plum boys at the Section 4 meet with a 10th-place finish in a time of 17:53.90.

“They are all running really well right now,” Kennedy said.

“With the way they have been working, they’ve put themselves in a position to have a shot at a state qualification if they run their best races (at WPIALs).”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Plum, Riverview