CR South’s Marisa Kilgarriff and Cheltenham’s Jason Cornelison are featured in this week’s cross country notebook.
By DENNY DYROFF
Cross country isn’t a sport that kids are introduced to at a young age. Baseball, soccer, softball, tennis – yes; cross country, no.
Like brussels sprouts, distance running needs a tasty introduction and gradual acclimation.
Top-flight scholastic cross country runners go through several phases.
The first is – I’m trying cross country. The second is – I am a cross country runner. The third is – I’m a good cross country runner.
Council Rock South’s Marisa Kilgarriff has gone through the process.
The Golden Hawks’ talented sophomore has already established herself as one of the premier runners in the Suburban One League’s National Conference.
“She’s a fabulous competitor,” said South coach Joan Thornton. “She has a great work ethic.”
It’s true that some kids have parents who are distance runners – parents who compete regularly in 5K runs and introduce their kids to the sport.
Such was not the case with Kilgarriff.
“I played club soccer since I was really young,” said Kilgarriff. “I played for the Lansing Knights – a travel team - and won the state cup with them. I also used to play softball and field hockey in middle school.
“I started running in seventh grade. I tried out for softball but didn’t really like it. It was way too cold out for softball. I played soccer so I was used to running, so I decided to join the track and field team. It was okay. Whenever I raced, I was in the top three.
“That’s when the cross country coach (Thornton) talked to me. I ran during the summer going into eighth grade. It was hard to get used to it. But, once you get your base, it’s okay.”
The “I’m trying cross country” stage came in her freshman year.
“Last year, my best meet was the William Tennent Invitational,” said Kilgarriff. “I got eighth place, and it was my first time under 20:00. I realized I really liked doing cross country.”
Kilgarriff had already reached the “I’m a cross country runner” stage. The “I’m a good cross country runner” stage followed quickly.
The speedy Rock South freshman turned in a sparkling performance at the Suburban One League Continental Conference Championships at Lehigh University.
“When, I got fourth at the conference meet, that gave me a lot of confidence,” said Kilgarriff. “I realized that I was a good cross country runner.
“I had finished first at several dual meets but the conference meet was a lot bigger. Most of the people ahead of me were older.”
Thornton said, “When I first saw Marisa in middle school, she was this little scrappy thing. She went out hard. She didn’t win, but she was upset that she didn’t win. She had this aggressiveness that good runners need.
“Last year as a freshman, I was really impressed with Marisa. She became our top runner. What I liked most was her consistency. And, she has continued to improve.”
All good cross country runners learn that off-season training during the summer is crucial to success in the fall.
“My summer training was really good,” said Kilgarriff. “Coach put me through a lot of workouts. I did a lot of mileage. The work I put in is showing this season.
“I was third at the Northampton Invitational at the start of the season, I got a PR (personal record) and that was definitely a confidence builder.
“Then, I got 25th at the Kutztown Invitational. There was definitely a lot more good competition there so it was a good experience.”
Next came the Foundation meet at Hershey and there were mixed results. Against a very deep and talented field, Kilgarriff placed 48th.
“The competition at Hershey was really good and running on that course was good experience,” said Kilgarriff. “But, it wasn’t my best race. I didn’t get a good night’s sleep. There was a highway right outside the hotel with cars making noise all night long.
“In our last invitational, I finished fifth at William Tennent. I felt stronger but the hill got to me – and so did the heat.”
Thornton said, “At the Tennent Invitational, despite it being very hot, Marisa improved by 20 seconds and placed fifth against very good competition. Moving into leagues and districts, she’s going to do very well.
“Marissa puts it together. She’s pretty fearless. She goes out with the frontrunners and isn’t afraid. What helps a lot is that she built up her endurance over the summer.
“Like I said, she has a great work ethic – and she really gets along well with her teammates. She’s a great person to coach.”
Kilgarriff has her sights set high.
“My goals for the rest of the season are to hopefully win leagues, get top 25 at districts and make it to states,” she said.
*****
Cheltenham’s Jason Cornelison is one of the elite runners in the Suburban One League’s American Conference this season. He also came late to the sport of running.
“I played baseball from when I was really young until eighth grade,” said Cornelison, a junior.
Cornelison entered the “I’m trying cross country” phase as a freshman.
“I started running track in eighth grade, but I wasn’t sure how much I’d like cross country – how dedicated I’d be during the season,” he said. “But I found I had a really good relationship with my coach and my teammates. Freshman year was a really good season for me because I only started running in eighth grade.”
It didn’t take long for Cornelison to reach the “I’m a cross country runner” stage.
“By the middle of the season, I felt – I am a cross country runner,” said Cornelison. “I ran an 18:17 in the junior varsity race at the conference meet and that was a big motivation.”
This year, he has reached the “I’m a good cross country runner” phase of his scholastic career.
“I worked a lot harder last year,” said Cornelison. “I was a major contributor to the team and got ninth at the conference meet. That’s when it clicked that I was a good runner.
“I worked really hard this summer. I was super motivated coming out of track season because I knew what I could achieve. I had a pretty good base this summer – about 600 miles.
“I came into this season with high hopes. I knew that within the conference, I’d be one of the top placers. Running track in the spring gave me the idea that I was a good runner and that with hard work I could do well.”
Coach Russ Wolff acknowledged that the extra distance Cornelison ran this summer was significant.
“Also, Jason grew in height and muscularity,” the Panthers’ coach said. “He’s definitely very defined. He came in a lot stronger. Doing CrossFit helped his muscle core.
“And, he has great dedication to the sport. His drive and his determination make a big difference. His times at the beginning of the season were where he left off last year at the end of the season.”
Cornelison placed fourth at the Briarwood Invitational earlier this season and took fifth place at the William Tennent Invitational. On Saturday, he captured the individual title at the Neshaminy Invitational. He’s also finished first in all the league races and is a team leader in every facet.
“Jason is the team captain along with senior Liam Brown,” Wolff said. “He leads vocally and by example. I really don’t have to coach him much – just guide him.
“He runs very knowledgably and under control. He really knows the sport – and he really knows himself.”
Cornelison knows what he wants – and what he must do to accomplish it.
“My goal this season is to win the conference meet,” said Cornelison. “It should be between me and (Wissahickon’s) Ben Hoyer. And, I know that I have a chance to make the state meet and do well.”
The PIAA Class AAA Championships are scheduled for November 4 at Hershey.
Wolff said, “My gut tells me he’ll make states– especially based on what he’s done at invitationals.”
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