Red Raider harriers open with win over Waynesburg
Jim Downey
Waynesburg Central teammates Cade Rush and Ben Bumgarner (center) lead the pack at the start of a non-section meet against Uniontown at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard Waynesburg Central’s Cade Rush (left) and Uniontown’s Cameron Kutek (right) set the pace in the first mile ahead of the Red Raiders’ Jack Killinger during Tuesday’s non-section meet at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. Uniontown defeated the Raiders, 22-35.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard Uniontown’s Madison Bertovich sets her pace in the first mile of Tuesday’s non-section meet against Waynesburg Central at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. Bertovich finished first with 23:50, leading the Uniontown girls to a 15-50 victory.
The Uniontown cross country team opened on a new home course at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, Tuesday, and Waynesburg Central’s Ben Bumgarner found his way around the new route without a hitch on a warm, sunny afternoon to finish first in 18:01.
The Red Raiders placed six runners in the top 10 for a 22-35 non-section victory.
Madison Bertovich was the first girl to finish the new course in a winning time of 23:50. Waynesburg Central did not have enough runners to score, so the Lady Raiders won, 15-50.
The new course included elements of the Uniontown course of recent years, as well as a hill or two from the college track.
Bumgarner separated himself from the rest of the runners around the two-mile mark and finished the final mile basically by himself, crossing the finish line 37 seconds ahead of Uniontown’s Jack Killinger.
“It was interesting. It’s a bigger hill than I expected back there,” Bumgarner said of the new course. “There’s a little bit of uneven footing and a few jaggers, but it’s a good course.”
Of his race strategy, Bumgarner said, “I just wanted to run with the Uniontown runner in the first two miles and then open it up in the third mile, which I did today.
“I did not want to take it out at a blistering pace. I was feeling good, so I just wanted to see what I could do.”
Bumgarner took it easy last week with an injury, so Tuesday’s meet was his first competition of the season.
“I took last week off. I had a little IT band problem. I worked out on the elliptical,” explained Bumgarner. “I didn’t feel anything at all (with the injury).”
Uniontown’s Jack Killinger worked his way through the field to finish second in a time of 18:38. Killinger is a first-year senior, so he not only set an early PR, but he also now holds the new course record for the Red Raiders.
“I didn’t expect to do this well. The course is really hard, but I found it fun,” said Killinger. “I was running with Cade (Waynesburg Central’s Cade Rush). I stayed close behind and on the big hill I caught Cade and gradually passed him.”
“I went as hard as I could up the hills. I knew there were lots of them. I didn’t expect to pass all the people I passed.”
Killinger was a soccer player who went out for track last spring.
“They convinced me to stay with running,” Killinger said of his decision to run cross country.
The Red Raiders’ Evan Klatt also caught up to Rush to finish fourth in 19:02. Rush crossed the finish line five seconds later.
Uniontown had the next four places in Cameron Kutek (19:31), John Desvarro (19:36), Logan Maust (19:39), and Sam Killinger (19:53).
Waynesburg rounded out the top 10 with Calvin Rogers (19:56) and Daniel Layton (20:05).
Bertovich ran by herself in the girls race, finishing in 23:50, but had enough boys to feed off to keep a solid pace.
“There were a couple guys I made sure I had around me. I kept a good distance with them,” said the junior.
As for her new home course, Bertovich said, “I knew the first mile was pretty tough. I had a nice controlled pace to get my mojo going.
“The third mile is all heart, give it what you got.”
Bertovich used the non-section meet to get a feel for the course for the A.J. Everhart Invitational on Sept. 24.
“I’m trying to get a good pace set for in the future how to work it better,” said Bertovich. “This course is a little harder, the terrain is a lot more rougher.
“I do like the other course a little better. I just know it better.”
Uniontown’s Celena Delara was second in 25:17. Teammates Brooke Bertovich (25:40), Macey Mills (26:15), and Emily Sarver (28:56) rounded out the top five.