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2025 Meet Schedule & Results
Knight Under the Lights...Friday Aug. 15, 2025 @ Norwin HS Stadium 7:30-9:00 pm (Results) Riverside Kickoff Classic Night XC Race…Saturday August 23, 2025 @ Riverside HS OHIO (MileSplit Results) Gateway Invite………...Saturday August 30, 2025 @ Boyce Park (INFO) Red, White & Blue Invite......Saturday Sept. 6, 2025 @ White Oak Park (MileSplit) (Athletic Live) Norwin vs. Upper St. Clair.....Tuesday Sept. 16, 2025 @ Oak Hollow Park (RESULTS) Blue Devil Invitational.....Saturday Sept. 20, 2025 @ Buhl Park (MileSplit) (RunHigh) PIAA Foundation Invite….Saturday Sept. 20, 2025 @ Hershey Giant Center/ Parkview (MileSplit) (RunHigh) Super Section Meet………Tuesday Sept. 23 @ IUP (MAP) (AthleticLive) Westmoreland County Champs...Wednesday Oct. 8, 2025 @ Westmoreland County College (MileSplit) (Map) TSTCA JV Championship……Monday Oct. 13, 2025 @ White Oak Park (MileSplit) Hoka Postal Nationals 2-Mile..........Saturday Oct. 18, 2025 (Boys Rank) (Girls Rank) WPIAL Championships ………Thursday Oct. 23, 2025 @ White Oak Park (MileSplit) (AthleticLive) PIAA Championships………Sat. November 1, 2025 @ Giant Center Hershey (RunHigh) (PIAA Info) NXR Regional Championships………Sat. November 22, 2025 @ Bowdoin Park, NY (Race Info) (RESULTS) |
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2025 Season Slideshow:
2025 Season Recap
Knight Under the Lights
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On Friday August 15th, the entire NorwinXC Program ran a Time Trial at Knight Under the Lights following the Norwin Pep Rally. Middle School ran a 1600 and the High School ran a 3000m trial. The Girls were led by Annie Czajkowski's all time fastest 3K Time Trial time of 10:14, a :14 improvement from last year. Finishing behind Annie was the duo of Anna Dansak (10:42) and Jillian Ryba (10:45). Cracking 11 minutes as well was Emily Dansak in 10:57. Rounding out the Top 5 was Addie Farrah in 11:13, followed by Kaelyn Lazar in 11:24 and Ciera Berthelsen in 12:26 to secure 7th place. Anna Dansak and Ciera Berthelsen both improved by over 1:00 from last year's Trial. The Girls Top 5 averaged 10:46 and improvement of :18 seconds from last year's Runner Up WPIAL team and over a :30 improvement from 2 years ago.
The Boys were led by a pair of sophomores who ran All Time fastest 3K times of 9:07 and 9:07.5. Alex Barrett edged out Ben McBride in the final homestretch to secure the victory. Following the sophomores was junior Owen Rankin in 9:32, a :13 improvement from last year. Sophomore Will Little (10:05), junior Atticus Knight (10:06), freshmen Declan O'Donnell (10:14), senior Maerek Moenssens (10:15), and freshmen Luke Robinson (10:17) rounded out the Top 8. The young guns, made up of 2 freshmen, 3 sophomores, 2 juniors, and 1 senior) looked strong and posted an average Top 5 Time of 9:35, an :08 second improvement from last year's WPIAL Championship Squad, in spite of losing the Top 3 runners from last year's team to graduation. Jameson Dixon posted over a 2:00 improvement from last year, while Alex Barrett, Ben McBride and Braden Pierce also made big leaps of a almost a minute or more.
The Boys were led by a pair of sophomores who ran All Time fastest 3K times of 9:07 and 9:07.5. Alex Barrett edged out Ben McBride in the final homestretch to secure the victory. Following the sophomores was junior Owen Rankin in 9:32, a :13 improvement from last year. Sophomore Will Little (10:05), junior Atticus Knight (10:06), freshmen Declan O'Donnell (10:14), senior Maerek Moenssens (10:15), and freshmen Luke Robinson (10:17) rounded out the Top 8. The young guns, made up of 2 freshmen, 3 sophomores, 2 juniors, and 1 senior) looked strong and posted an average Top 5 Time of 9:35, an :08 second improvement from last year's WPIAL Championship Squad, in spite of losing the Top 3 runners from last year's team to graduation. Jameson Dixon posted over a 2:00 improvement from last year, while Alex Barrett, Ben McBride and Braden Pierce also made big leaps of a almost a minute or more.
Riverside Kickoff Classic Night Invite
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On Saturday, August 23rd, NorwinXC ran at Riverside HS in the Hoka Kickoff Classic, the evening races kicked off with the Girls JV/Open race. Sophomore Clair Sherman, freshmen Cora Anselmino, and Mia Telli pack ran in the front and finished 4th, 5th and 6th, respectively. Sherman ran 21:59, Anselmino ran 22:00, and Telli closed in 22:04 to earn some Hoka cowboy hats for a Top 10 finish. In the Boys JV/Open race, freshmen Luke Robinson made his NorwinXC high school debut with a strong 2nd place finish of 500+ runners in 18:08, followed also in the Top 10 was sophomore Braden Pierce in 18:44 for 7th place. Sophomore Griffin Bucklin finished in 54th in 19:43, while senior Mike Makay closed out the JV team in 20:29.
The NorwinXC Girls Varsity front ran from the start to win their second straight Riverside Classic Night Race victory with only 62 pts, to second place Avon with 173 pts in a field of 36 teams and close to 300 runners. The girls used a tight front pack and ran an all-time team low average of 19:01 to seal the win. Senior Annie Czajkowski ran a great dual with Avon's Kaitlyn Reese. The two came through the mile in 5:31 and the 2-mile in 11:20 before Reese pulled ahead to win in 17:43. Czajkowski ran a 18:17 for second overall in the field. Following Annie, was a couple of Top 10 finishes by Jillian Ryba in 5th in 18:49 and Anna Dansak in 6th in 18:51 to crack the 19-minute barrier for the first time ever. Emily Dansak set a PR in 19:13 to medal in 13th place. Addie Farrah closed out the scoring in 42nd with a 19:56 time on the clock. Kaelyn Lazar also set a PR in 20:13 to finish 53rd, followed by a strong race from Ciera Berthelsen in 21:44, her fastest time as well. Molly Edwards ran 22:40 despite a fall at the crowded start to wrap up the race for the Knights.
In the NorwinXC Boys Varsity Showcase Race, the young boys squad raced over 40 teams and 300 runners, including a couple of WPIAL powerhouses in Butler and North Allegheny. The boys took 4th overall 47 pts. ahead of Butler and 75 pts ahead of North Allegheny. After a crowded start, the boys settled in on the track loop before heading back out to the fields. Sophomore Ben McBride ran with the lead pack most of the race and held on for 9th and ran an all-time fastest sophomore time of 16:02 for the 5k and earned a medal and a Hoka cowboy hat. Following Ben was fellow sophomore Alex Barrett who ran 16:31 for 28th place and a medal. Another sophomore Will Little ran 16:54 for 54th followed by freshmen Ransom Gaydos in 17:11 and 73rd place. Junior Owen Rankin closed out the top 5 in 79th place with a time of 17:16. Freshmen Declan O'Donnell ran a great race back in the pack to run 17:33 followed by senior Maerek Moenssens in 17:36. Closing out the race for the Knights was junior Atticus Knight in 17:51.
The NorwinXC Girls Varsity front ran from the start to win their second straight Riverside Classic Night Race victory with only 62 pts, to second place Avon with 173 pts in a field of 36 teams and close to 300 runners. The girls used a tight front pack and ran an all-time team low average of 19:01 to seal the win. Senior Annie Czajkowski ran a great dual with Avon's Kaitlyn Reese. The two came through the mile in 5:31 and the 2-mile in 11:20 before Reese pulled ahead to win in 17:43. Czajkowski ran a 18:17 for second overall in the field. Following Annie, was a couple of Top 10 finishes by Jillian Ryba in 5th in 18:49 and Anna Dansak in 6th in 18:51 to crack the 19-minute barrier for the first time ever. Emily Dansak set a PR in 19:13 to medal in 13th place. Addie Farrah closed out the scoring in 42nd with a 19:56 time on the clock. Kaelyn Lazar also set a PR in 20:13 to finish 53rd, followed by a strong race from Ciera Berthelsen in 21:44, her fastest time as well. Molly Edwards ran 22:40 despite a fall at the crowded start to wrap up the race for the Knights.
In the NorwinXC Boys Varsity Showcase Race, the young boys squad raced over 40 teams and 300 runners, including a couple of WPIAL powerhouses in Butler and North Allegheny. The boys took 4th overall 47 pts. ahead of Butler and 75 pts ahead of North Allegheny. After a crowded start, the boys settled in on the track loop before heading back out to the fields. Sophomore Ben McBride ran with the lead pack most of the race and held on for 9th and ran an all-time fastest sophomore time of 16:02 for the 5k and earned a medal and a Hoka cowboy hat. Following Ben was fellow sophomore Alex Barrett who ran 16:31 for 28th place and a medal. Another sophomore Will Little ran 16:54 for 54th followed by freshmen Ransom Gaydos in 17:11 and 73rd place. Junior Owen Rankin closed out the top 5 in 79th place with a time of 17:16. Freshmen Declan O'Donnell ran a great race back in the pack to run 17:33 followed by senior Maerek Moenssens in 17:36. Closing out the race for the Knights was junior Atticus Knight in 17:51.
Gateway Invitational
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On Saturday August 30, the NorwinXC Squad traveled to Boyce Park for the annual Gateway Invitational on a chilly fall morning. Many varsity athletes took the weekend off from racing and did their long run at the park. This gave many JV and newcomers a chance to set the tone for the team. The Boys Varsity squad kicked things off with the first race of the day. Leading the way for the Knights was sophomore Braden Pierce in 31st place and a time of 19:10 in his first varsity race. Following Pierce was senior Richie Zula in 39th and junior Mason Madonna in 42nd and freshmen Brody Heckman in 49th. Holden Sikora, Mike Makay and Cade Kubistek wrapped up the varsity lineup for the Knights.
On the Girls NorwinXC Squad, sophomore Claire Sherman medaled for the Knights with a 15th place finish in 22:08 on the challenging course. Following Sherman was Faith Shepherd in 28th in 23:31 to round out the incomplete varsity squad. In the JV Girls Race, seniors Carmela Lio (21st) and Lily Chaney (27th), and sophomore Eva Krizan (29th) rounded out the JV Squad. In the JV Boys Race, freshmen Jaden Brittingham (25th) in 21:52 led the boys, followed by junior Zander Miller (33rd), freshmen Austin Bobby (35th), Oliver Heny Wills (39th) and Jack Evanuik in 53rd wrapped up the scoring for the JV Squad. The middle school boys finished a strong second and the middle school girls led by Grace Dansak's win, finished comfortably in 1st place.
On the Girls NorwinXC Squad, sophomore Claire Sherman medaled for the Knights with a 15th place finish in 22:08 on the challenging course. Following Sherman was Faith Shepherd in 28th in 23:31 to round out the incomplete varsity squad. In the JV Girls Race, seniors Carmela Lio (21st) and Lily Chaney (27th), and sophomore Eva Krizan (29th) rounded out the JV Squad. In the JV Boys Race, freshmen Jaden Brittingham (25th) in 21:52 led the boys, followed by junior Zander Miller (33rd), freshmen Austin Bobby (35th), Oliver Heny Wills (39th) and Jack Evanuik in 53rd wrapped up the scoring for the JV Squad. The middle school boys finished a strong second and the middle school girls led by Grace Dansak's win, finished comfortably in 1st place.
Red, White & Blue Invitational
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On Saturday September 6th, the NorwinXC Squad competed at the prestigious Red, White & Blue Invite at White Oak Park. The Lady Knights secured a big W for the team with only 55 pts, well ahead of South Fayette's 129 pts and beat the other 57 teams entered in all classifications. It was the first time the Lady Knights won the meet since 2009. The girls averaged a school record of 18:53 as well to seal the deal and continue to drop those times. Senior Annie Czajkowski ran a patient race with the lead pack for most of the race and pulled away in the final 2K to clock a school record time of 17:52.9 and become the only girl in NorwinXC history to break 18:00! Following Annie, the Knights Junior Wolf Pack of Anna Dansak in 9th (18:47), Emily Dansak in 14th (19:08), Jillian Ryba in 20th (19:15), Addie Farrah in 21st (19:24), Kaelyn Lazar in 38th (19:57), Ciera Berthelsen in 74th (20:57). Great job from the ladies to win the biggest meet of the year of Western PA teams and WV squads. In the Girls JV race, Claire Sherman finished a strong race in 2nd place in 21:10 and Faith Shepherd medaled in 9th in 21:55. In the Girls Freshmen Race, Cora Anselmino medaled in the top 10 in 9th place in 21:29.
On the Boys Varsity side, the boys finished in a strong field with a few boys out with injury or in 9th grade race. Sophomore Ben McBride ran the second fastest time in NorwinXC history with a 15:54 time on the clock to finish 4th overall. Owen Rankin finished in 42nd in 16:57, followed by Atticus Knight, Will Little, and Maerek Moenssens in 75th, 82nd, and 85th to round out the scoring. The JV Boys were led by Griffin Bucklin in 67th and Mason Madonna in 86th. In the Freshmen Boys race, the boys finished in a tight race for 3rd place behind North Allegheny and Fox Chapel. Ransom Gaydos and Declan O'Donnell finished 1-2 in the race in 17:24 and 17:31. Luke Robinson medaled in 13th, followed by Brody Heckman in 45th and Carter Haughey in 54th.
On the Boys Varsity side, the boys finished in a strong field with a few boys out with injury or in 9th grade race. Sophomore Ben McBride ran the second fastest time in NorwinXC history with a 15:54 time on the clock to finish 4th overall. Owen Rankin finished in 42nd in 16:57, followed by Atticus Knight, Will Little, and Maerek Moenssens in 75th, 82nd, and 85th to round out the scoring. The JV Boys were led by Griffin Bucklin in 67th and Mason Madonna in 86th. In the Freshmen Boys race, the boys finished in a tight race for 3rd place behind North Allegheny and Fox Chapel. Ransom Gaydos and Declan O'Donnell finished 1-2 in the race in 17:24 and 17:31. Luke Robinson medaled in 13th, followed by Brody Heckman in 45th and Carter Haughey in 54th.
Norwin vs. Upper St. Clair
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On Tuesday September 16th the NorwinXC Squads celebrated Senior Knight and battled non-section opponent Upper St. Clair as a tune up for the Super Section Championship a week later. The Lady Knights won the meet easily by a score of 15-47, taking the first five spots in the race. Annie Czajkowski won her final senior race at Oak Hollow, followed by Anna Dansak, Emily Dansak, Addie Farrah, and Kaelyn Lazar. After the first USC girl finished in 6th place, Ciera Berthelsen ran a strong second half to finish 6th on the Knights and 7th overall. The Lady Knights captured 9th through 14th spots led by sophomores Molly Edwards, Faith Shepherd, Claire Sherman, and freshmen Cora Anselmino, and Mia Telli. Seniors Lily "Liliana" Chaney and Carmela Lio closed out their Oak Hollow careers in 20th and 21st place.
In the Boys Race, the boys defeated USC 23-37 with a strong loop two of the hilly Oak Hollow course on a warm fall day. The Knights were led by sophomore Ben McBride who lost a close race to USC's Nolan Sarkett for second place and junior Owen Rankin in third. The Knights used a strong pack to capture 5-6-7-8 place led by sophomore Will Little, senior Maerek Moenssens, freshmen Declan O'Donnell and junior Atticus Knight. Braden Pierce closed out the Top 7 for the Knights. Seniors Richie Zula, Mike Makay, and Cade Kubistek raced their final race at Oak Hollow for the team as well.
In the Boys Race, the boys defeated USC 23-37 with a strong loop two of the hilly Oak Hollow course on a warm fall day. The Knights were led by sophomore Ben McBride who lost a close race to USC's Nolan Sarkett for second place and junior Owen Rankin in third. The Knights used a strong pack to capture 5-6-7-8 place led by sophomore Will Little, senior Maerek Moenssens, freshmen Declan O'Donnell and junior Atticus Knight. Braden Pierce closed out the Top 7 for the Knights. Seniors Richie Zula, Mike Makay, and Cade Kubistek raced their final race at Oak Hollow for the team as well.
Blue Devil Invitational
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The NorwinXC Boys and JV Girls traveled to Buhl Park on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to compete the Blue Devil Invitational. All 7 varsity boys medaled in the race to bring home the title with 50 pts, beating out 2nd place General McClane by 45 pts. Overall, Ben McBride ran from the front again and finished 2nd in 16:09 in a field of close to 200 runners. Following McBride, Owen Rankin had his strongest race of the season in 16:52 to secure 5th place overall. Freshmen Ransom Gaydos and Declan O'Donnell finish just over 17:00 in 12th and 13th. Will Little rounded out the scoring in 18th place and Atticus Knight and Maerek Moenssesn finish in 26th and 27th overall. In the Boys JV Race, the boys nearly had a total sweep of the Top spots taking 6 of the first 7 places. Freshmen Luke Robinson won the race in 18:10 followed by Braden Pierce in 2nd in 18:22. Richie Zula, Carter Haughey, Mason Madonna, Griffin Bucklin and Brody Heckman round out the top 7.
In the Girls Varsity race, all 4 ladies walked away with medals. Molly Edwards finished in 21:22 (21st), followed closely by Faith Shepherd in 21:25 for 23rd. Freshmen Cora Anselmino and Mia Telli medaled in 30th and 32nd just cracking the 22:00 barrier. In the Girls JV Race, all 3 girls medaled led by Lily Chaney in 7th place, Carmela Lio in 17th and Eva Krizan in 18th place.
In the Girls Varsity race, all 4 ladies walked away with medals. Molly Edwards finished in 21:22 (21st), followed closely by Faith Shepherd in 21:25 for 23rd. Freshmen Cora Anselmino and Mia Telli medaled in 30th and 32nd just cracking the 22:00 barrier. In the Girls JV Race, all 3 girls medaled led by Lily Chaney in 7th place, Carmela Lio in 17th and Eva Krizan in 18th place.
PIAA Foundation Invitational
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The next race the girls competed at the PIAA Foundation Meet, which hosted 5 of the Top 10 teams in the state. The girls again had a low total of 45 pts in the GOLD RACE. Annie Czajkowski won the race in 19:00 and the Lady Knights put 4 in the top 10 overall: Annie Czajkowski (1st), Anna Dansak (5th), Jillian Ryba (7th), Emily Dansak (8th). The girls had 4 girls sub 20:00 on the challenging, long state meet course at Hershey. The key to the race was the even splits or negative splits from the girls who had 45 pts at the halfway point and 45 pts at the finish line as well.
In the merged results, the Lady Knights beat all 87 teams and had 4 runners in the top 15 overall of over 650 runners!
In the merged results, the Lady Knights beat all 87 teams and had 4 runners in the top 15 overall of over 650 runners!
Super Section Championship @ IUP
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On a rainy Tuesday afternoon at IUP, the NorwinXC teams competed at the first Super Section Championship. The NorwinXC Girls walked away with the team title, beating the other 8 teams in the Section (Hempfield, Penn Trafford, Latrobe, Derry, Yough, Ligonier Valley, Indiana, and Greensburg Salem). The girls used a front trio up front to put the meet away in the dual meet scoring. Junior Anna Dansak won the race in 19:03, followed by teammates Jillian Ryba (19:16) and Emily Dansak (19:21) for 2nd and 3rd. Following E.Dansak was Addie Farrah in 5th overall in 20:03, followed by her strongest race of the season for Ciera Berthelsen and Kaelyn Lazar in 12th and 13th to medal as well. Molly Edwards closed out the Norwin team in 20th place. The girls capped their 4th straight Section Title and combined 32-0 record the last 4 years. In the Girls JV race, the girls captured the first 4 spots and 5 of the top 6 spots overall. Faith Shepherd won the race in 21:46, followed by Cora Anselmino, Mia Telli and Claire Sherman in 2nd through 4th. Senior Lily Chaney took 6th overall to wrap up the scoring for the JV Girls.
In the BOYS Varsity race, the boys gave the #1 WPIAL and #6 PIAA team a run for their money falling 25-30 in a tight race. The boys ran a strong 2nd half of the race in the pouring rain. Ben McBride led early and held on for 2nd place overall in 16:09. Owen Rankin ran a strong race to finish 6th overall in a PR of 16:39 and break up the Hempfield pack. Following Rankin, was the pack of Declan O'Donnell, Will Little, and Ransom Gaydos in 9th, 10th and 11th overall. This was the first time O'Donnell broke 17:00 on not ideal conditions. Atticus Knight medaled in 14th place and Maerek Moenssens rounded out the team in 22nd overall. In the BOYS JV race, freshmen Luke Robinson led the way running in 4th place in 18:29 followed by Braden Pierce in 5th place in 18:32. Carter Haughey had his best race of the season breaking 19:00 in 18:55 for 8th place and Richie Zula was 9th in 18:56 to round out the medalists for the JV team.
In the BOYS Varsity race, the boys gave the #1 WPIAL and #6 PIAA team a run for their money falling 25-30 in a tight race. The boys ran a strong 2nd half of the race in the pouring rain. Ben McBride led early and held on for 2nd place overall in 16:09. Owen Rankin ran a strong race to finish 6th overall in a PR of 16:39 and break up the Hempfield pack. Following Rankin, was the pack of Declan O'Donnell, Will Little, and Ransom Gaydos in 9th, 10th and 11th overall. This was the first time O'Donnell broke 17:00 on not ideal conditions. Atticus Knight medaled in 14th place and Maerek Moenssens rounded out the team in 22nd overall. In the BOYS JV race, freshmen Luke Robinson led the way running in 4th place in 18:29 followed by Braden Pierce in 5th place in 18:32. Carter Haughey had his best race of the season breaking 19:00 in 18:55 for 8th place and Richie Zula was 9th in 18:56 to round out the medalists for the JV team.
Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championship
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On a beautiful fall day on Wednesday October 8th, NorwinXC traveled to Westmoreland County Community College for the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championship. The Knights had a stellar day with lots of PR's and medals won. The Varsity Boys kicked off the meet with a strong 2nd Place finish in the Boys' race. Leading the way again for the Knights was sophomore Ben McBride. Ben ran 15:57, :17 under the course record, to finish 2nd overall. Following McBride was junior Owen Rankin in 8th (16:44), freshmen Declan O'Donnell in 9th (16:48) and Ransom Gaydos in 12th (17:13). Rounding out the All County medalist for the Knights was junior William Little in 13th (17:20). Atticus Knight and Maerek Moennssens finished 24th and 30th overall to round out the varsity squad. The boys ran aggressive from gun and Hempfield closed the race to finish slightly ahead of the boys 29-44.
In the Girls Varsity race, the 'Knight Train' captured the first 6 spots overall to sweep the varsity race with a perfect score of 15 pts, second place Kiski had 63 pts. Senior Annie Czajkowski paced the squad with the overall title in a time of 18:52. Following Annie was the junior Knight Train of Jillian Ryba in 2nd (19:02), Emily Dansak in 3rd (19:05), Anna Dansak in 4th (19:27), Addie Farrah in 5th (19:40), and Kaelyn Lazar in 6th (19:43). Ciera Berthelsen finished in 19th place to round out the varsity squad. The Lady Knights ran in a pack the first mile and then gradually broke away from the field as the race continued over the 3.1 mile course.
In the Coed JV Race, Luke Robinson won the race overall and broke the 18:00 barrier with a strong run of 17:53. Braden Pierce took 3rd (18:17), followed by senior Richie Zula in a PR of 18:23 for 5th overall. Mason Madonna, Ari Baglio, Mike Makay and Griffin Bucklin rounded out the Top 7 for the boys JV to help earn a second place finish to Hempfield. In the Girls JV race, the JV Knight Train captured the first 4 spots overall. Sophomore Claire Sherman won the race overall with a time of 20:56 to eclipse the 21-minute barrier. Faith Shepherd took 2nd (21:11), followed by freshmen Cora Anselmino in 3rd (21:59) and Mia Telli in 4th (22:05). Lilia Chaney closed out the scoring for 5th, followed by Carmela Lio in 14th and Eva Krizan in 17th. The Girls JV Squad easily won the race with only 16 pts to second place Ligonier Valley in 2nd with 53 pts.
In the Girls Varsity race, the 'Knight Train' captured the first 6 spots overall to sweep the varsity race with a perfect score of 15 pts, second place Kiski had 63 pts. Senior Annie Czajkowski paced the squad with the overall title in a time of 18:52. Following Annie was the junior Knight Train of Jillian Ryba in 2nd (19:02), Emily Dansak in 3rd (19:05), Anna Dansak in 4th (19:27), Addie Farrah in 5th (19:40), and Kaelyn Lazar in 6th (19:43). Ciera Berthelsen finished in 19th place to round out the varsity squad. The Lady Knights ran in a pack the first mile and then gradually broke away from the field as the race continued over the 3.1 mile course.
In the Coed JV Race, Luke Robinson won the race overall and broke the 18:00 barrier with a strong run of 17:53. Braden Pierce took 3rd (18:17), followed by senior Richie Zula in a PR of 18:23 for 5th overall. Mason Madonna, Ari Baglio, Mike Makay and Griffin Bucklin rounded out the Top 7 for the boys JV to help earn a second place finish to Hempfield. In the Girls JV race, the JV Knight Train captured the first 4 spots overall. Sophomore Claire Sherman won the race overall with a time of 20:56 to eclipse the 21-minute barrier. Faith Shepherd took 2nd (21:11), followed by freshmen Cora Anselmino in 3rd (21:59) and Mia Telli in 4th (22:05). Lilia Chaney closed out the scoring for 5th, followed by Carmela Lio in 14th and Eva Krizan in 17th. The Girls JV Squad easily won the race with only 16 pts to second place Ligonier Valley in 2nd with 53 pts.
TSTCA JV Championships @ White Oak Park
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On Monday October 13, the JV Squads got to cap off their seasons at White Oak Park for the TSTCA JV Championship. The Boys had their full squad and won the meet with 34 pts, five points ahead of second place Hempfield. The NorwinXC Boys were led by two-time JV Champ, Alex Barrett with a time of 16:30. Barrett ran his first race since the season opener in August in Ohio after suffering from some knee issues. Luke Robinson finished 4th overall with a tie of 17:52. Braden Pierce took 6th in 18:07, Richie Zula in 7th with 18:12. Ari Baglio, Carter Haughey and Mason Madonna finished 17th, 18th and 19th to cap off the 'varsity' JV squad.
The NorwinXC Girls ran a strong race as well to finish in 2nd place, losing to Mt. Lebo by a score of 42-52. The JV Squad ran well up front with Claire Sherman winning the race in 20:35, :12 ahead of her teammate Faith Shepherd in 2nd overall. Mia Telli captured 4th place overall in 22:26. Chaney, Krizan and Lio ran 22nd, 23rd, and 26th to round out the smaller squad.
The NorwinXC Girls ran a strong race as well to finish in 2nd place, losing to Mt. Lebo by a score of 42-52. The JV Squad ran well up front with Claire Sherman winning the race in 20:35, :12 ahead of her teammate Faith Shepherd in 2nd overall. Mia Telli captured 4th place overall in 22:26. Chaney, Krizan and Lio ran 22nd, 23rd, and 26th to round out the smaller squad.
WPIAL Championship @ White Oak Park
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In a day that will be remembered in NorwinXC Hall of Fame history, the Girls NorwinXC team won the WPIAL Championship by a landslide with a total score of 36 points, beating the second-place team, Fox Chapel, by more than double the points and third third-place team, South Fayette, by triple the points. The girls’ team hasn’t won WPIAL since 2009, meaning this season marks a major achievement for the program and shows how hard the girls have been working ever since the end of June. Throughout the season, the girls haven’t lost a single meet leading up to WPIAL, so when they took home the WPIAL Championship, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone.
The first girl to cross the finish line for the Lady Knights was a shock for everyone who was paying attention to the Norwin girls’ team. Coming in first for the girls’ team was junior Emily Dansak, who had an incredible time of 18:26 and played a crucial role in the team victory, finishing in 3rd place overall.
“I felt amazing and like all my hard work paid off, “ said Emily Dansak. “I was very proud of how far I had come all season.”
Coming right behind Emily Dansak was the usual number one runner for the girls team, senior Annie Czajkowski, coming in at 5th place overall with a time of 18:27, and right behind her was junior Jillion Ryba coming in at 6th place with a time of 18:30 and putting three out of the seven Norwin girls in the top ten in WPIAL out of 192 runners. Coming after them were excellent performances by two more juniors. Addison Farrah came in 13th place with a time of 18:51, and right behind her was Anna Dansak, who came in 14th place with a time of 18:58.
“We definitely expected to do well,” said head coach Brian Fleckenstein. “We were runner-up last year in the WPIAL and this year, we definitely wanted to move up a little bit and win the WPIAL title which is the first time that it happened for the girls since 2009.”
Together, these girls with their months of nonstop training and their experience at running made a truly unstoppable team that no competition could even dream of beating.
While the girls were dominating the entire championship meet, the NorwinXC Boys also qualified for the PIAA Championship with a 3rd place finish, behind 1st place Hempfield with a total score of 67 points, and after them was 2nd place North Allegheny with a score of 79 points, followed by Norwin with a Final score of 108 points. Even though the Norwin Boys team didn’t win WPIAL, they still qualified for the State Championship in Hershey because the boys team made the top three and the top three teams in WPIAL qualified for states.
Leading the entire race was Norwin runner sophomore Benjamin McBride, who got 1st place overall out of 214 runners, pulling off the biggest upset of the day. McBride became the first WPIAL Champion since 1995 and the second boy in school history, with a final time of 15:27, which is an all-time program record.
Coming next up was sophomore Alexander Barrett who got 11th place with a impressive time of 16:01, finishing next were two freshmen runners, Ransom Gaydos 30th place with a time of 16:28 and right behind was Declan O’ Donnell who came in 31st place with a time of 16:29, and rounding out the scoring for the Knights was sophomore William Little who got 35th place with a time of 16:35, putting the top 5 Norwin boys runners in the top 35 finishes for the race.
”I thought that it was very possible to win,” said McBride. “I knew that if I went for it on the day, I would have a good chance. I thought it would have been closer, though.”
Overall, it was a historic day at the WPIAL Championship for the NorwinXC program, and it was time for the team to head to state.
The first girl to cross the finish line for the Lady Knights was a shock for everyone who was paying attention to the Norwin girls’ team. Coming in first for the girls’ team was junior Emily Dansak, who had an incredible time of 18:26 and played a crucial role in the team victory, finishing in 3rd place overall.
“I felt amazing and like all my hard work paid off, “ said Emily Dansak. “I was very proud of how far I had come all season.”
Coming right behind Emily Dansak was the usual number one runner for the girls team, senior Annie Czajkowski, coming in at 5th place overall with a time of 18:27, and right behind her was junior Jillion Ryba coming in at 6th place with a time of 18:30 and putting three out of the seven Norwin girls in the top ten in WPIAL out of 192 runners. Coming after them were excellent performances by two more juniors. Addison Farrah came in 13th place with a time of 18:51, and right behind her was Anna Dansak, who came in 14th place with a time of 18:58.
“We definitely expected to do well,” said head coach Brian Fleckenstein. “We were runner-up last year in the WPIAL and this year, we definitely wanted to move up a little bit and win the WPIAL title which is the first time that it happened for the girls since 2009.”
Together, these girls with their months of nonstop training and their experience at running made a truly unstoppable team that no competition could even dream of beating.
While the girls were dominating the entire championship meet, the NorwinXC Boys also qualified for the PIAA Championship with a 3rd place finish, behind 1st place Hempfield with a total score of 67 points, and after them was 2nd place North Allegheny with a score of 79 points, followed by Norwin with a Final score of 108 points. Even though the Norwin Boys team didn’t win WPIAL, they still qualified for the State Championship in Hershey because the boys team made the top three and the top three teams in WPIAL qualified for states.
Leading the entire race was Norwin runner sophomore Benjamin McBride, who got 1st place overall out of 214 runners, pulling off the biggest upset of the day. McBride became the first WPIAL Champion since 1995 and the second boy in school history, with a final time of 15:27, which is an all-time program record.
Coming next up was sophomore Alexander Barrett who got 11th place with a impressive time of 16:01, finishing next were two freshmen runners, Ransom Gaydos 30th place with a time of 16:28 and right behind was Declan O’ Donnell who came in 31st place with a time of 16:29, and rounding out the scoring for the Knights was sophomore William Little who got 35th place with a time of 16:35, putting the top 5 Norwin boys runners in the top 35 finishes for the race.
”I thought that it was very possible to win,” said McBride. “I knew that if I went for it on the day, I would have a good chance. I thought it would have been closer, though.”
Overall, it was a historic day at the WPIAL Championship for the NorwinXC program, and it was time for the team to head to state.
PIAA Championship @ Hershey
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The Norwin XC Boys and Girls teams traveled to Hershey on Friday, October 31, for the most anticipated cross country meet of the season, the state championship. After a long bus ride with a stop for breakfast, the Knights finally arrived at their destination at Giant Center, Hershey, to take a look at the challenging Parkview course. However, the girls’ team had a big advantage going into the state championship because the entire team had already been there before, six out of the seven varsity girls runners had already run there last year for state, and all seven girls runners ran there this year in September for the PIAA Foundation invite, which the Norwin girls won easily with only 45 pts. The Norwin boys also had experience running at Hershey because the three sophomore boys on varsity, Benjamin McBride, Alexander Barrett, and William Little, ran there last year for the state championship.
When the team was running the course, the girls put on princess costumes because it was Halloween, and they were planning to go trick and treat that night but didn’t have any time for that, after leaving the course the team went to dinner in the afternoon and after dinner they went to the hotel to get some rest for the big Championship race tomorrow.
“Definitely, the girls had a goal of doing well at the state meet as well, coming into the season,” said Fleckenstein. “We definitely wanted to see if it was possible to win a state title, and the girls followed through and put in all the hard work necessary to do that.”
Despite receiving tough competition at the state championship, the Norwin girls’ team did the unthinkable and won the PIAA championship by a landslide with a final score of 54 points, beating second-place Downingtown West, who had 147 points, and third-place State College with a distant 166 points. This is the first time in Norwin cross country program history that the girls’ team has won a state title. This is a massive accomplishment for the cross country coach Brian Fleckenstein and assistant coach Ray Rakvic.
Senior Annie Czajkowski and junior Addison Farrah stood out by coming in 11th and 15th, respectively at the state meet to earn individual medals. Following closely behind them was the rest of the ‘Knight Train’ in juniors Emily Dansak, who got 30th place, after her was Jillian Ryba getting 35th place, and finishing off the Knights’ scoring was Anna Dansak, who got 41st place.
“During a championship race, I think about a lot, surprisingly,” said Ryba. “First of all, my mind goes to all of the early mornings and late nights that I’ve dedicated to this sport, and this pushes me to always do my best. I think of all those ellipticals that I didn’t want to do but I did anyway, cause I knew they would help me. I also think about my teammates and how much we’ve all put in, and how I need to run for them. When the race gets tough and I feel like quitting, I turn to God and pray for myself and my teammates to do our best and never quit.”
On the boys’ side, the team finished in 7th place overall, which is an improvement from last year when the boys came in 12th place overall in states. The standout performance for the boys was definitely WPIAL Champion and sophomore, Benjamin McBride, who got 21st place and earned a medal. McBride’s consistency in being number one for Norwin at every meet shows how much he is committed to being the top runner for Pennsylvania, and he is only a sophomore.
Another impressive performance by fellow sophomore Alex Barrett, who ran to 62nd place, and after him was William Little who got 112th place, followed by a couple of freshmen–Declan O’Donnell in 129th and Ransom Gaydos, who got 138th place respectively. The boys’ team left Hershey with a new sense of determination to come back next year and win the state championships.
”What really helped me was God giving me strength and determination to do all my training,” said O’Donnell. “Another thing that helped was by comparing myself to Ben and Alex from what they did as freshmen and trying to do what they did, also having a good training plan.”
The official season is over for the Knights, but the cross country team goes to New York state on November 22nd for the Nike Cross Regionals Championships. The Norwin team is hoping to compete in the Championship Races, and even get a top two spot in the meet of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Nike then flies the Regional Qualifiers from the 8 regional meets to Portland, Oregon for the Nike Nationals Championship race on December 6th.
“I think it has made me incredibly grateful to have this experience that so many dream of," said Czajkowski. "I am very appreciative of this opportunity to run with these girls.”
When the team was running the course, the girls put on princess costumes because it was Halloween, and they were planning to go trick and treat that night but didn’t have any time for that, after leaving the course the team went to dinner in the afternoon and after dinner they went to the hotel to get some rest for the big Championship race tomorrow.
“Definitely, the girls had a goal of doing well at the state meet as well, coming into the season,” said Fleckenstein. “We definitely wanted to see if it was possible to win a state title, and the girls followed through and put in all the hard work necessary to do that.”
Despite receiving tough competition at the state championship, the Norwin girls’ team did the unthinkable and won the PIAA championship by a landslide with a final score of 54 points, beating second-place Downingtown West, who had 147 points, and third-place State College with a distant 166 points. This is the first time in Norwin cross country program history that the girls’ team has won a state title. This is a massive accomplishment for the cross country coach Brian Fleckenstein and assistant coach Ray Rakvic.
Senior Annie Czajkowski and junior Addison Farrah stood out by coming in 11th and 15th, respectively at the state meet to earn individual medals. Following closely behind them was the rest of the ‘Knight Train’ in juniors Emily Dansak, who got 30th place, after her was Jillian Ryba getting 35th place, and finishing off the Knights’ scoring was Anna Dansak, who got 41st place.
“During a championship race, I think about a lot, surprisingly,” said Ryba. “First of all, my mind goes to all of the early mornings and late nights that I’ve dedicated to this sport, and this pushes me to always do my best. I think of all those ellipticals that I didn’t want to do but I did anyway, cause I knew they would help me. I also think about my teammates and how much we’ve all put in, and how I need to run for them. When the race gets tough and I feel like quitting, I turn to God and pray for myself and my teammates to do our best and never quit.”
On the boys’ side, the team finished in 7th place overall, which is an improvement from last year when the boys came in 12th place overall in states. The standout performance for the boys was definitely WPIAL Champion and sophomore, Benjamin McBride, who got 21st place and earned a medal. McBride’s consistency in being number one for Norwin at every meet shows how much he is committed to being the top runner for Pennsylvania, and he is only a sophomore.
Another impressive performance by fellow sophomore Alex Barrett, who ran to 62nd place, and after him was William Little who got 112th place, followed by a couple of freshmen–Declan O’Donnell in 129th and Ransom Gaydos, who got 138th place respectively. The boys’ team left Hershey with a new sense of determination to come back next year and win the state championships.
”What really helped me was God giving me strength and determination to do all my training,” said O’Donnell. “Another thing that helped was by comparing myself to Ben and Alex from what they did as freshmen and trying to do what they did, also having a good training plan.”
The official season is over for the Knights, but the cross country team goes to New York state on November 22nd for the Nike Cross Regionals Championships. The Norwin team is hoping to compete in the Championship Races, and even get a top two spot in the meet of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Nike then flies the Regional Qualifiers from the 8 regional meets to Portland, Oregon for the Nike Nationals Championship race on December 6th.
“I think it has made me incredibly grateful to have this experience that so many dream of," said Czajkowski. "I am very appreciative of this opportunity to run with these girls.”
NXR Northeast @ Bowdoin Park, NY
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2025 PUBLICATIONS/ MEDIA: (click on pics for links)
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