Cross Country: The All-Delco Teams

In addition to runners of the year Luke Bodden of Radnor and Haverford’s Olivia Cieslak, the All-Delco team includes:

Rowan Carr, Penncrest: The freshman was an instant difference-maker for the Lions, leading them to the Delaware County Championships team title and a chance to run at states after finishing fourth at the District 1 Class 3A championships. He signaled his arrival when he finished seventh at the Paul Short Invitational Brown Race. Carr was the runner-up to Bodden at Delcos, finishing 15 seconds back in 15:39.45. He finished sixth at Centrals, where the Lions were the runner-up in the team competition. Carr was the second freshman across the line at districts, finishing 15th overall in 15:36.80, one of six Central Leaguers in the top 15. He was the top Delco finisher at states, clocking in at 16:08 to finish eighth and edge Bodden by one place.

Teddy Foster, Haverford: The sophomore emerged as one of the leaders on a reloading Haverford squad that had to replace major contributors. Foster captured seventh place at Delcos in 16:07.73, the Fords finishing fourth in the team standings. He was ninth at Centrals and 26th at the District 1 meet, but he came up with something special at states. He covered the Hershey course in 16:32, good for 21st place to make him the fourth finisher among Delco runners.

Jackson Kane, Ridley: The junior improved by leaps and bounds this year, going from 112th at districts as a sophomore to 12th. He credits much of that to training with classmate Joey Lanci, who finished third at Delcos but couldn’t run at districts or states due to injury. Ridley finished third as a team at Delcos. Kane was fifth at Delcos and the first finisher beyond Lower Merion’s Mazzeo twins at Centrals, edging Bodden for third. His time of 15:35.30 at districts got him to states, third among Delco runners. At Hershey, Kane finished 58th in 17 minutes even, sixth among Delco runners. Kane finished fourth at the Unionville Two-Mile Bash, ahead of Mulugeta and Carr, and 18th at the Paul Short Brown Race. Kane is just the second Ridley boys runner (joining Zach Forney in 2017) to be named All-Delco since 2003.

Edomias Mulugeta, Penncrest: The junior wasn’t far from his younger teammate most of the season, a big part of the Lions finishing fourth at districts and 10th at states. Mulugeta finished fourth at Delcos in 15:54.40. He bested Carr by a place at Centrals in fifth, helping the Lions to a runner-up result.  (He also finished a spot ahead of Carr at the Unionville Two-Mile Bash.) Mulugeta booked his states place by finishing 10th at the District 1 meet in 15:29.80, five spots ahead of Carr and trailing only Bodden among Delco runners. Mulugeta was 43rd at states.

Dan Wuenschel, Strath Haven: Wuenschel didn’t run at Delcos, but his strong postseason made up for it. The senior finished 14th at Centrals, then 27th at the District 1 meet. He had an unbelievable run at states, finishing 19th. He covered the course at Hershey in 16:31, making him the third Delco runner (behind Carr and Bodden) and the sixth Central League runner across the line.

Chloe Browne, Strath Haven: The senior wrapped up her cross country career with a stellar season. She was third at Delcos, behind the two Haverford runners, as the shorthanded Panthers finished third as a team. Browne and the Panthers were each third at Centrals. She finished 14th at Districts, the fifth Delco girl across the line, as Strath Haven placed sixth as a team. Browne went 19:46 at states to finish 32nd, only Margolies and McGeehan beating her from Delco. Brown has committed to Lehigh University.

Sophia Kurtis, Springfield: Much like Kane, the junior from Springfield took a massive jump forward, going from 190th at districts as a freshman to 15th. She also had to recover from a final-mile slip at Delcos that dropped her to 15th, though she still helped the Cougars finish second as a team. Her performances showed that to be the outlier. She finished sixth at Centrals, then 15th at districts in 18:38.30, making her the sixth Delco runner across the line. She was fourth among the Delco contingent when she finished 47th at states. Kurtis finished seventh at the Briarwood Invitational and third at the Salesianum Invitational. Kurtis is the first Springfield girls All-Delco since Grace Galligan in 2013.

Zoe Margolies, Radnor: The senior earns her second All-Delco nod for a consistent season that led to states. Margolies was a fixture in the leading crowd of Delco runners all season. She finished fourth at Delcos behind the Haverford pair and Browne. At Centrals, she earned the silver medal, the only runner within 50 seconds of Cieslak. Margolies was in the thick of the districts race, finishing sixth in 18:04.90, the second Delco finisher behind Cieslak. Her time of 19:14 at states placed her 22nd, again second from Delco, behind McGeehan.

Camryn McGeehan, Haverford: The junior is an All-Delco for the third time, a potent complement to Cieslak who has elevated the Fords to elite status on the track and in cross country. Where Cieslak was, McGeehan was rarely far behind. At Delcos, McGeehan was the runner-up, 26 seconds behind Cieslak, helping the Fords score 46 points and easily lift the title. She was fifth at Centrals, where Haverford finished second to Conestoga. She added a top-10 finish at the District 1 Class 3A meet in eighth, behind Cieslak and Margolies, as the Fords finished as team runner-up. With Cieslak injured for states, McGeehan was the first Delco runner across the line, 12th in 18:58. Haverford finished ninth as a team.