All-Delco Cross Country: Haverford’s Cieslak, Lawson on similarly stellar trajectories

HAVERFORD — The similarities between Haverford teammates Olivia Cieslak and Patrick Lawson are myriad.

Both started running at an early age under the guidance of their parents. Both enjoy being part of the Fords’ strong team culture, one of the factors that brought Cieslak to Haverford after spending part of her freshman year at Friends’ Central.

Both also possess an intense desire to succeed, and did so at the highest level this cross country season, even if both prefer competing on the track.

Neither runner was beaten by a Delco athlete in any of the major races in which they entered. Both won Delco titles and medals at the District 1 and PIAA Class 3A championship (for Lawson, it was his second state medal in cross country).

And both are easy selections as Daily Times Cross Country Runners of the Year.

Cieslak is the first Haverford girl to earn the honor since Tess Meehan in 2012. Lawson is the second straight Haverford athlete named boys Runner of the Year and the fourth since 2009.

Joining Cieslak and Lawson on the All-Delco cross country first team are Haverford teammates Camryn McGeehan and Quentin Ryan; Dakin Ebmeyer, Aidan McHugh and Michael Woolery from Episcopal Academy; Radnor’s Zoe Margolies and Luke Bodden; Garnet Valley’s Avery Lustgarten; Therese Trainer of Notre Dame; Hannah Prokup from Strath Haven; Gavin Mogck from Penncrest and Upper Darby’s Loralei Golembiewski.

Lawson, McGeehan, Ryan, Bodden, Trainer, Prokup and Mogck are repeat selections. Trainer is the only senior on the girls portion of the first team. Golembiewski, Margolies and Prokup are juniors. Cieslak and McGeehan are sophomores. Lustgarten is the only freshman on the squad. Woolery, a junior, is the only underclassman on the boys team.

The All-Delco team was selected by the Daily Times staff in consultation with county coaches.

“They’re just two good kids who are very coachable and love the sport,” said Ryan Comstock, who coaches the boys track teams at Haverford and is a cross country assistant.

Cieslak has her parents to thank for introducing her to running in kindergarten or first grade. Her dad, Macin, was a professional basketball player in Poland. Her mom, Aga, was a runner in Europe before they moved to the United States.

“They just kind of brought me into sports,” she said.

Cieslak said she took to running right away and has enjoyed success at every level, mainly in track, where she is ranked No. 2 in Pennsylvania and No. 14 nationally in the Class of 2025. After finishing fourth in the 800 at the PIAA Class 3A Track & Field championships last season, Cieslak won the freshman mile and was the top ninth-grader in the 800 (12th overall) at the New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field last June.

The victory in the mile was her third national title. Earlier that year, she won the 1,500 and the mile at the Nike Indoor Nationals.

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