Herald-Standard All-Area Boys Cross Country Team
Uniontown’s Syner paces field after placing 19th in the state
Photo courtesy of John Mills
Ethan Syner couldn’t run a race without his lucky socks.
Syner and his flashy stockings, including a pair labeled with Kit Kats, which was appropriate for the state meet in Hershey, helped lead the Uniontown senior to a 19th-place finish out of 242 entries in the PIAA Class 2A Boys Cross Country Championship on Nov. 1 at the Parkview Cross Country Course.
Syner crossed the finish line in Hershey with a time of 17:02.
Syner was eighth in the WPIAL Championships, fifth in the Tri-State Invitational and won titles in the Fayette County Coaches Association (FCCA) Championships and the 34th Annual A.J. Everhart Invitational.
Syner posted his best time of the season after finishing the course at White Oak Park in 16:00.27 on Oct. 16 at the Tri-State Invitational.
He ran 16:10 on the White Oak course a week later to qualify for the state meet. The course at White Oak produces faster times than the Parkview course in Hershey.
Uniontown head coach Joe Everhart plans to take a pair of Syner’s socks and have them put on display for ceremonial purposes.
Syner has earned the distinction of being the Runner of the Year on the Herald-Standard All-Area Boys Cross Country Team.
Syner ran at the state meet last season, as the Red Raiders qualified as a team, but he placed 50th in 17:28.
Uniontown didn’t qualify for the state championships this year as a team, but Syner and Logan Davis made it as individuals. Syner was prepared this time around, and used the hills on the Parkview course to gain ground on the competition at every checkpoint.
“I was confident this year because I knew what to expect from the course,” said Syner after finishing his race in Hershey. “This course favors runners that can do well on hills, which we work on all the time. I know I don’t have the fastest kick, but I just gave it everything I have as we came into the finishing chute. From where I finished to 10th place was about five seconds.”
Syner, who also competes for the Red Raiders on their swimming and diving team, is undecided on if he wants to continue his academic and running careers in college, but he has received interest from collegiate coaches.
Syner will continue to run in the spring for Uniontown as a member of the track & field team. He is aware that a solid track season will help his stock rise when it comes to running at the next level.
“I have run a sub five-minute mile in cross country, so I believe I can do it in track, but I will need to work on my speed,” Syner said. “I haven’t had the best seasons in track, but I know I need to show that I can do well in track to run in college.”
Top 7
Belle Vernon’s Logan Metzger and Leonidas Soto; California’s Carter Kent; Connellsville’s Ellic Pritts and Jake Pritts; Uniontown’s Ethan Syner and Logan Davis.
Second group of 7
Laurel Highlands’ Ryan Filcheck and Mason Mahoney; Uniontown’s Ezra Batovsky, Chase King and Matthew Page; Waynesburg Central’s Will Maxwell; and West Greene’s Joel Grimes.
Coach of the Year: Joe Everhart, Uniontown
The veteran coach guided the Red Raiders to a FCCA championship and a third-place finish in Division I, Section 2. Uniontown won the team title in the A.J. Everhart Invitational. The Red Raiders had two runners on the first team of the Herald-Standard All-Area Boys Cross Country Team and three on the second team.