HS Cross Country: Dando, Meyer capture ‘Canes Invitational titles
Nativity's Shane Meyer establishes his lead Saturday during the varsity boys' race at the 'Canes Invitational at Schuylkill Haven. Meyer won the race in 17:50. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Genevieve Dando keeps getting better every week.
The North Schuylkill freshman won her second straight invitational Saturday, breezing to the girls’ gold at the 18th annual ‘Canes Invitational at Schuylkill Haven Area High School’s Rotary Field. Nativity’s Shane Meyer won an invitational for the first time ever, taking top honors in the boys’ race in 17:50.
Dando, who won the Cardinal Clash last Saturday, covered the hilly, 3.1-mile (5,000-meter) course in 20:36, markedly below the 21:13 she clocked at Pine Grove.
“It feels good, and everybody did great again,” the soft-spoken Dando said. “Definitely, I felt a lot better this week than last week. I’m just trying to get better as the season is ending (in a few weeks).”
The races were a little light on competitors due to several schools splitting their squads and taking their best runners to Hershey for the 19th PIAA Foundation Cross Country Invitational. There, runners traverse the Parkview Cross Country Course, the same 5,000 meters used for states, and contend with fields of more than 200 runners.
Both Dando and Meyer sprinted to the lead in the opening meters on the artificial turf and all-weather track at Rotary Field. They never looked back.
Dando won by 59 seconds over Tamaqua’s Shaylee Gormley, who took second in 21:35.
Meyer, who shaved 12 seconds off last week’s time at Pine Grove, pulled away to win by 13 seconds over Nativity teammate Nash Stehr (18:03).
I was kind of happy that I finally won one,” Meyer said. “I hope to win more.
“After my first cross country season, I didn’t train that much,” Meyer added. “But this summer I really started kicking it, running 30-40 miles a week, double workouts, all that.”
18th annual ‘Canes Invitational
At Schuylkill Haven Area High School
Course length: 3.1 miles
Saturday’s results
Teams entered: Blue Mountain (BM), Jim Thorpe (JT), Marian (Mar), Minersville (Min), Nativity (Nat), North Schuylkill (NS), Pine Grove (PG), Pottsville (Po), Schuylkill Haven (SH), Shenandoah Valley (SV), Tamaqua (Tam), Tri-Valley (TV), Tulpehocken (Tul)
Varsity girls
52 finishers
Team scores: 1. Tamaqua 31, 2. Schuylkill Haven 41, 3. Pine Grove 71
Individual results: 1. Genevieve Dando (NS) 20:26, 2. Shaylee Gormley (Tam) 21:35, 3. Kayleigh Halenar (JT) 22:47, 4. Anna Cook (TV) 23:02, 5. Ayla Essler-Kiryaman (SH) 23:15, 6. Teaghan Biros (Mar) 23:16, 7. Ava Jones (Tam) 23:31, 8. Shelby McClure (Tul) 23:52, 9. Anna Keer (Mar) 24:19, 10. Mollie Walker (Tam) 24:23
Varsity boys
51 finishers
Team scores: 1. Nativity 34, 2. Schuylkill Haven 48, 3. Tamaqua 53
Individual results: 1. Shane Meyer (Nat) 17:50, 2. Nash Stehr (Nat) 18:03, 3. Cameron Jones (NS) 18:14, 4. Parker Steencken (Tam) 18:16, 5. Colton McClusky (SH) 18:36, 6. Preston Lex (NS) 19:05, 7. Wyatt Hylka (Nat) 19:13, 8. Memphis Kline (Tul) 19:15, 9. Owen Ebersole (Tul) 19:17, 10. Dru Herber (PG) 19:23
Junior high girls
Course length: 1.7 miles
46 finishers
Team scores: 1. Jim Thorpe 35, Blue Mountain 45, 3. Pottsville 49
Individual results: 1. Norah Scheidel (BM) 12:36, 2. Aubry Jones (Tam) 12:43, 3. Payton O’Brien (Tam) 12:48, 4. Brooklyn Gradwell (SV) 12:49, 5. Adalie Ferdoucha (Po) 12:58
Junior high boys
35 finishers
Team scores: 1. Schuylkill Haven 33, 2. Jim Thorpe 35, 4. Tamaqua 36
Individual results: 1. Connor Evans (SH) 11:07, 2. Owen Novy (JT) 11:09, 3. Jackson Koneschusky (Tam) 11:15, 4. Colton Klinger (SH) 11:19, 5. Javier Arias Granados (SV) 11:29
Devils’ Espinal places 6th
at PIAA Foundation race
HERSHEY — Shenandoah Valley senior Robert Espinal earned a sixth-place finish at the 19th PIAA Foundation Cross Country Invitational, held at the Parkview Cross Country Course, the site of the state championships.
