RICHBORO – Ann Herman had decidedly modest goals when she went out for Pennsbury’s cross country team this fall.
“I wanted to be a freshman who made varsity,” Herman said.
Herman has done that and a whole lot more.
On Saturday, the diminutive freshman won the individual title at the Council Rock Invitational, and she made it look oh so easy, finishing 25 seconds ahead of her next closest competitor. Herman finished the wet course with a time of 19:25. Hatboro-Horsham’s Kaylee Irwin was second with a time of 19:50.
“She’s talented, to say the least,” Pennsbury coach Don Little said. “She’s tough.”
Team honors went to Central Bucks South. The Titans placed five runners in the top 25, six in the top 26. Emily Chappell, South’s top runner, finished fifth with a time of 20:09. Lisa Glover was 12th with a time of 20:33. Kristen Myers finished 19th (20:45), Taylor Goldsworthy was 22nd (20:50) while Lauren Leibried (20.59) and Rachel Bachman (20:59) were 25th and 26th respectively.
It’s exactly the kind of race the Titans need to run to be successful.
“We don’t have a runner that can go out and win a race,” South coach Ryan Walsh said. “Emily Chappell has been our number one, and she will mix it up in the top six or seven. She’s not fast enough to win the meet. You need a spread of 40 seconds or better. We were 50 seconds today, and that was enough to win.
“It’s been like that since the beginning of the season. It’s a good way to win meets.”
A pleasant surprise for the Titans this season is Glover, a transplant from the marching band who ran jayvee last year but this year – as a senior – is running second for the Titans.
“She did the summer training, and it paid off big time,” Walsh said. “She’s personal bested by two minutes. She’s been a part of our success.”
Saturday’s was the first ever team title at an invitational meet for the fifth-year program, and making the Titans’ strong showing even more impressive was the fact that their number five runner went down with dehydration and did not complete the race.
“It was competitive, and it especially shows how competitive the Suburban One League is,” Walsh said.
As for Herman’s success, the gifted freshman insists it wasn’t the result of any great stategy.
“We had a strategy, but during the race, he (coach Little) told us to go, and I went,” Herman said, who took a lead she would not lose a mile and a half into the race.
“The idea was for the team to run in a pack,” Little said of his team’s initial strategy. “The pack is only as good as the people trying to hold on to the pack. The girls in the front can’t be vested with keeping the girls in the pack.
“At that point, it had kind of fallen apart.”
Herman says she didn’t mind the soggy track a bit.
“I think it was actually a good day,” she said. “It was a little windy at some parts, but it was nice weather to run in.”
Herman served notice that she might be something special when she finished second at the DeSales Invitational and then was fourth at the PIAA Invitational Meet in Hershey.
“I’m not surprised that she came in first today, but I did not anticipate she would be finishing that strong a month ago,” Little said. “She had really good training coaches before she came to us, so she was in shape when she came to summer practices.
“She has a really good work ethic and always finishes her workouts. She’s a real nice kid. She doesn’t realize how good she is.”
Herman admits she didn’t have her sights set on winning Saturday’s invitational.
“Honestly, I would have been happy with a top 10 finish because I heard there were a lot of good teams here,” she said. “This feels good.”
Other SOL runners in the top 10 were Hatboro’s Casey Ulrich, who finished sixth with a time of 20:12 and Neshaminy’s Christine Esposito, who was ninth with a time of 20:28.
Team Scoring
Class A: 1. Central Bucks South (83), 2. Hatboro-Horsham (101), 3. Pennridge (136), 4. Pennsbury (149), 5. Neshaminy (176), 6. Council Rock South (198)
Class B: 1. Hempfield (261), 2. Archbishop Carroll (281), 3. Central (286)
Class C: 1. Villa Maria (179), 2. Villa Joseph Marie (216), 3. Gwynedd-Mercy (381)
Individual Scoring
Ann Herman, Pennsbury (19.25), 2. Kaylee Irwin, Hatboro-Horsham (19.50), 3. Cecelia Forschee, Phil-Mont (19.54), 4. Katie Filemyr, Bishop McDevitt (20.08), 5. Emily Chappell, Central Bucks South (20.09), 6. Casey Ulrich, Hatboro-Horsham (20.12), 7. Kate Rodden, Archbishop Carroll (20.12), 8. Mary Morgan, Central (20.13), 9. Christine Esposito, Neshaminy (20.28), Alyssa Autieri, Villa Maria (20.29), 11. Nicole Mehlman, Pennridge (20.32), 12. Lisa Glover, Central Bucks South (20.33), 13. Emma Mahoney, Villa Joseph Marie (20.34), 14. Kathleen Stewart, Council Rock South (20.36), 15. Alyssa Bellia, Archbishop Carroll (20.37), 16. Tori Gerlach, Pennridge (20.42), 17. Janine Powis, Christopher Dock (20.43), 18. Martina Drew, Neshaminy (20.44), 19. Kristen Myers, Central Bucks South (20.45), 20. Morgan Perry, Pennsbury (20.46), 21. Laura Histand, Neshaminy (20.48), 22. Taylor Goldsworthy, Central Bucks South (20.50), 23. Allison Ludwick, Pennsbury (20.52), 24. Paige O’Neill, Villa Maria (20. 59), 25. Lauren Leibfreid, Central Bucks South (20.59), 26. Rachel Bachman, Central Bucks South (20.59)
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