On Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Quakertown’s William Dickson, Kayra DeVries and Risa Palmer-Kusiak were recognized for committing to compete in cross country/track at the collegiate level.
William Dickson – University of Scranton (Track & Field)
Major: Finance
Reasons for choosing Scranton: “Strong business program and track program as well as campus life.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in cross country at the collegiate level? “I knew I wanted to
continue running in college from all the people I have met and experiences I have made in the program. I know running in college will complete my college experience.”
Coach Dave Loew says: “When it comes to Will Dickson, the only regret I have is that I won’t have more time with him. I coached him two indoor seasons and two outdoor seasons, I know Will has talked to the Scranton coaches, and they’ve seen his times, but they’ve not seen Will perform. I have never met a young man more focused, more driven, more determined to get better and work harder at everything he did. He’s a great leader, and he showed everybody underneath him – all the freshmen, sophomores and juniors – what it is to work and try to achieve. Will ran the 200 and 400 for us. He was our number one sprinter, he was our anchor for the 4x100 and 4x400. The 4x1 is one of the most exciting events, and it always went Devon to Tim to Christian, and as Christian was handing off to Will coming around the corner, I was like, ‘Okay, here comes the Will Train, what’s he going to do now? Who’s he going to walk down now?’ Time after time, he came through just incredibly for us. Will anchored the 4x1, and this team has the third best time in Quakertown history. They ran at the Jim Kelly Invitational and ran a 43.87, which is a tremendous time. If you look at our record books, they go all the way back to the early 70s, and to capture that at this stage is incredible. Will is going to be a very big success at Scranton. Good luck to you, Will.”
Coach Mike Mooney says: “It was during Will’s sophomore track season I suggested he run cross country the following season. He’s a sprinter by trade, and Will decided to come out for cross country in the fall to be in shape for indoor and outdoor track seasons his junior and senior year. He was a solid varsity performer. Will received the Rookie of the Year award his first season his junior year. He dropped his time by a minute and a half, which prompted my comment that Will was the oldest rookie since Robert Redford in The Natural.Will’s 5K best time was 19:47.7, and he did that at the Paul Short Invitational. Previous to that, his best time was 21 minutes. His contribution to the cross country program goes beyond what he did during the competition but as a leader to the underclass by sharing his experience and wisdom. Cross country definitely prepared Will for the next two seasons, setting PRs in the 100, 200 and 400 as well as anchoring the state qualifying 4x1 relay. His leadership led to his team captain selection his senior year.”
About William:
Favorite food: Anything with chicken
Favorite movie: Top Gun
Favorite artist: Fleetwood Mac
Kayra DeVries – Messiah University (Cross Country/Track & Field)
Major: Civil Engineering
Reasons for choosing Messiah: “Great academic program and athletics”
What was the progression that led you to competing in cross country and track at the collegiate level? “I started thinking about it last year. The recruiting started in the spring of 2022 when I started receiving letters. Later, I reached out to coaches at schools I was interested in.”
Coach Mike Mooney says: “I only had the opportunity to coach Kayra one season in cross country her senior year, but there 
were a lot of occasions when we’d say to each other – we should have done this a few years earlier. She played field hockey for the first three seasons in high school. Kayra was a solid number two performer for the girls, constantly pushing our number one runner at the time. Her PR is 20:42.2. She set that at the District 1 meet at Lehigh University’s Goodman Campus. Kayra was immediately looked upon by her underclassmen teammates as one of the team’s leaders, setting a tremendous work ethic for those to follow and the ultimate team player. What Kayra did the week of states, Rebekah Hickey qualified for states, and Kayra was one of five athletes to attend a practice where we went off campus and did a pretty significant hill workout that day, and Kayra did every other hill repeat with us to have fresher legs and to be able to push Rebekah to her state qualifying. Kayra’s cross country season also helped her in her track season, recording a personal best indoors in the 1500 meter and the mile run along with outdoor season PRs in the 800, 1600 and 3200. Kayra gives new meaning to the term student-athlete. As a member of the National Honor Society, her GPA is 4.36. She was also the recipient of last season’s coaches award based on her consistent performances. Kayra gained second team all-league honors during this past season as well. Kayra will be a member of both the women’s track and cross country teams at Messiah, and there’s no doubt that her solid work ethic will be a positive influence on her new teammates.”
Coach Jason Anderson says: “Both Kayra and Risa have been really leaders for us. Bekah Hickey is part of the trio that ran our distance program and really did a great job and trained so many young runners. We have a really strong core of sophomores, and Kayra and Risa really helped them.
“Kayra gave me her transcript and asked for a letter of recommendation, which was easy. I’m trying to figure out the transcript because everything just says A. There’s no A-minuses, there’s no Bs, there’s no Cs. Everything is A all four years. It took me a while to process that. She’s going to be very successful. Kayra has been great for us as captain, encouraging the young ones. We could always count on Kayra, so thank you, Kayra. Thank you, Risa. You’ve done a great job at Quakertown track and field, and we really appreciate all your hard work and wish you the best.”
About Kayra:
Favorite food: Goldfish
Favorite TV show: Survivor
Favorite music: “I can’t choose.”
Risa Palmer-Kusiak – Houghton University (Cross Country/Track & Field)
Major: Exercise Science (Applied)
Final list of colleges: Houghton, Shippensburg, Millersville, Ursinus, Maryland, Towson, Muhlenberg, Penn State, Cedar Crest, East Stroudsburg
Reasons for choosing Houghton: “Science honors program, distance team, coaching staff and music program.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in cross country and track at the collegiate level? “I did not 
think I wanted to run in college until I started cross country. The team and the camaraderie we had made me want to continue competing in college. The recruiting process started near the end of my junior year and then into the beginning of my senior year. I got letters or emails from a few schools and reached out to others. I did visits throughout the fall and winter and made my decision around the end of March.”
Coach Mike Mooney says: “I recall having a conversation with Risa’s mom during her sophomore year spring track. Because she had a background in distance being a miler, I suggested maybe cross country would be a good place for her. She came out for cross country her junior year, and she was a viable member of the cross country program. After a difficult start due to injuries and such, she became a top scoring varsity member, placing in the top five for our team in many meets. Risa’s personal best is 21:41 set this past season at the District 1 meet. Previous to that, she ran a 22:24. Risa was instrumental in hosting our very first pasta and movie night, which was a tremendous team bonding event and was attended by the entire team. Risa is also a member of the Quakertown swim team during the winter, but she competes in girls’ track as well with spring bests in the 800 and 1600. Risa was the recipient of this year’s most improved runner, dropping her personal best by over a minute. Risa also gained second team all-league honors this past cross country seasons.”
Coach Jason Anderson says: “It’s been a tumultuous four years as we all know. The senior class missed their first season in 2020, but Risa is home schooled, and she plays three sports throughout the year, which is a neat thing. I wanted to give kudos to Risa and her family for having that full immersion as well as the home school. Risa, like all of us, has battled some health concerns over the past couple of years, but now she is so strong, so powerful, and she’s really going to have a great season up in New York and a great four years. She also did a pasta party for us for outdoor track. Thanks for starting that tradition for outdoor track.”
About Risa:
Favorite food: Cheesesteaks
Favorite TV show: The Wilds
Favorite artist: Ateez
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