Gerber, Palonder earn all-PAC running honors
Waynesburg freshman Julie Gerber finished second Saturday, while Saint Vincent junior Sawyer Palonder was third as both earned all-Presidents’ Athletic Conference honors at the conference cross country championships.
Gerber, a Uniontown graduate, completed the championship course at host Bethany (W.Va.) in 23:12, leading the Yellow Jackets to a second-place finish with 37 points. Grove City College won the women’s title with 29 points.
Elinore Loch (6, 23:53), Annette Aho (6, 23:53), and Angela Marchetti (9, 24:16) also finished in the top 10 for the Yellow Jackets.
Waynesburg head coach Chris Hardie was named PAC Women’s Coach of the Year, while the Yellow Jackets were awarded the PAC team sportsmanship award.
Palonder, a Frazier graduate, placed third in 26:52.40. The Bearcats won the team title for the fifth straight year with 31 points and had top-10 finishes from conference champion Brandon Moretton (26:40.4), Brandon Holmes (8, 27:27.6), Vincent Tonzo (9, 27:40.9) and Mount Pleasant grad Eric Porter (10, 27:41.5).
Waynesburg’s Brendan Keany finished fourth overall with a time of 26:58.9 to earn all-conference honors.
Frazier graduate Amber Starr, a sophomore at Chatham, finished 60th overall in a time of 28:55.
The schools are off until the NCAA Division III Mideast Regionals on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pa.