Shady Side Academy girls focus on team success, win program’s 1st cross country state title

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, November 8, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Shady Side Academy girls cross country coach Jeff Perlis talked to Charlotte Barker and Josephine Lenart the night before the PIAA Class A championship race to discuss strategy. Both girls were among the favorites to cross the finish line first.

Lenart and Barker had traded wins at meets back and forth all season.

“Both said they didn’t really care about that,” Perlis said. “They said they had one goal and it’s not that. They prioritized success as a team.”

Lenart took second and Barker ended up fourth as the Bulldogs had four of the top 35 finishers to capture the program’s first state championship. Shady Side Academy finished with 122 points as a team, edging out a pair of WPIAL rivals, OLSH and Winchester Thurston, which finished with 128 and 135.

Perlis said he wanted the team to soak in the results.

“Six of the top 10 are freshmen,” Perlis said. “I told them you need to enjoy this. You hope it comes around again, but there are no guarantees.”

Lenart continued her excellent run at the state course. She finished in 19 minutes, 41 seconds to place second. That was two seconds ahead of her time when she won the Foundation Meet at the same course earlier this season.

Mercer senior Maggie Jewell won the race with a time of 19:28.

“Josie’s really savvy,” Perlis said. “She loves that course. A lot of people have negative feelings and energy toward that course. It is the hardest course we run on all season. For her to be a freshman and have a positive relationship with that course is important for her for the next three years. I wish all kids had that.”

Barker finished in 19:57. Ella Van Norman (30th, 21:49), Rhyley Bendel (35th, 21:58) and Marcelle Minutolo (51st, 22:32) rounded out the top five for the Bulldogs.

“It was really special,” Perlis said. “It was honestly something that we had talked about since August. To see that come to fruition as the first state title in the sport in the school’s history and for me as a coach was special.”

On the boys side, Shady Side Academy placed sixth as a team. Sophomore Harlan Cooper led the Bulldogs by placing 16th with a time of 17:56.

Loiudice finishes top 20

Fox Chapel’s girls team finished in eighth place in the Class 3A race. Freshman Claire Loiudice led the Foxes by placing 19th with a time of 20:05. Bridget Hemingray (31st), Maeve Sherry (57th), Sydney Kimmons (60th) and Ellva Shevchuk (65th) rounded out the top five for the Foxes.

Michael Costello led the Fox Chapel boys team by placing 80th.

Tags: Fox Chapel