Riverview runners ready to contend for WPIAL medals, PIAA berth

By: Michael Love
Saturday, October 14, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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PA Milesplit, a website which tracks and reports on cross country teams throughout the state, lists five teams as the primary contenders for the four PIAA qualifying spots from WPIAL boys Class A.

Riverview is in that top grouping, and coach Palma Ostrowski said the team is looking strong as they prepare to battle main contenders Eden Christian, Winchester Thurston, Ellwood City and Mohawk, as well as others hoping to rise to the occasion at the district championship meet Oct. 26 at White Oak Park.

“Despite graduating seven from last year’s top-11 nucleus, our boys have maintained a pretty high standard in 2023,” said Ostrowski, who saw her team begin the season with a runner-up finish to Class 3A Fox Chapel at the Gateway Invitational at Boyce Park.

“Our four key returners — Chris Barnes, Holden Deasy, Micah Ivy and Cohen Hoolahan — each have big-meet experience as they have cumulatively participated in seven cross country state championships and six track and field state championships. These four have been great leaders and role models.”

Winchester Thurston was runner-up in Class A last year to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at Cal (Pa.) and finished 10 points ahead of Riverview. The Raiders were the clear bronze medalist, outdistancing fourth-place Eden Christian by 49 points.

Eden, ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL and PIAA by Milesplit all season, is fronted by a senior pack that includes Ethan Haring, sixth at WPIALs last year.

“Eden has three elite senior runners who each have achieved sub-16 this year,” Ostrowski said.

Winchester Thurston owns six WPIAL championships and two WPIAL runner-up finishes in the eight years since the WPIAL went to three classifications.

Riverview has been right there with Winchester in recent years and beat out the Bears for the WPIAL team title in 2021.

It will be a full day of racing at WPIALs with the Class 3A girls kicking off everything at White Oak at 11 a.m.

The Class A races will be at 1 p.m. (girls) and 1:30 (boys).

The top four teams in the Class A boys and girls races at WPIALs automatically qualify for the PIAA championships Nov. 4 in Hershey. Also, the top 20 individuals not on the four qualifying teams also punch tickets to states.

Ostrowski said Barnes has a shot of continuing the six-year streak of a Riverview boys runner securing a WPIAL top-five finish.

“Despite a few nagging injuries for Cohen and Micah, on any given day, all four (of the top boys runners) are candidates to get in the top 20 at WPIALs,” she said.

“While Cohen, Micah, Chris and Holden will keep us in the mix, ultimately, our team placement will come down to our No. 5, 6 and 7 runners in freshman Ashton Saunders, sophomore Braden Longstreth and junior Levi Roupas. While we are not as deep as last year, these three are working very hard and are staying close enough to the top four to give us realistic hope of another special postseason.”

The Riverview teams transitioned from section meets to the Maryland Invitational on Oct. 7 in suburban Baltimore. Ostrowski said all 24 runners who competed achieved season bests.

The boys placed second out of 42 teams, finishing with 187 points behind only Maryland power Gilman (108). The Raiders top five all went sub-18:00 with Barnes clocking a time of 16:20 to take fourth. It was the third fastest 5K time in Riverview cross country history.

On the girls side, junior Lily Bauer ran the best race of her career, finishing 18th in the 241-runner field with a time of 20:34.

Ostrowski said that similar to the boys WPIAL team contenders, PA Milesplit lists Riverview among five girls teams who are favorites to contend for the four automatic state bids.

That includes defending WPIAL champion Winchester Thurston and runner-up OLSH.

“OLSH seems to have separated itself as the favorite for a WPIAL title and perhaps a podium team at states, as well,” Ostrowski said. “They have a nice mix of returners and newcomers and definitely appear to be the deepest of the contenders.”

The Riverview girls finished third at WPIALs last year and own three state-qualifying performances in the eight years of single-A girls cross country.

Bauer, 19th individually at WPIALs last year, and senior Gwyn Fichte (24th) are two-time PIAA qualifiers.

“Lily has been our rock,” Ostrowski said. “She is so consistent and continues to improve her times. We call Gwyn ‘Miss October’ because the last two years, she peaked perfectly at WPIALs.”

Sophomores Grace Johnson and Rose Lascola and seniors Riley Russell and Jonisha Carlino also have that experience from running on last year’s state-qualifying team.

Ostrowski said the wild card for the Riverview girls will come down to first-year dual-sport athletes in junior Lily Hood and freshmen Hannah Hudack, Juliette Brun and Catie Hoolahan. All four, she said, have been around the top seven in meets in which they have participated.

“We thought our girls would be better this year than last year’s state-qualifying team, and thus far, we have been better, particularly in invitationals and thus have produced times in the top 10 of the PIAA as shown by PA Milesplit,” Ostrowski said.

“However, we also recognize that it may not be enough just to be better than last year as this year’s WPIAL Class A field appears to be a lot tougher. The girls understand this, and they are working hard to give it their best shot at White Oak.”

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.

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